Misfits In The Middle Of Nowhere!
by The Lone Lobster
Summary: What do you do when the only family you've ever had is gone? When your whole world comes crashing down around you? For most we find ourselves lost and are unable to get up in the morning, but for a certain pink canine his newfound reason for rising is to run away screaming from his new company, come and see all the insanity that follows Courage and this band of misfits!
1. Prologue

**(A/N: Alright so before we begin this is how things will work, the only villains that will be around in almost every single chapter are the most consistent of Courage's adversaries which include Katz, Le Quack, Cajun Fox, basically just watch the episode where he get's ganged up on by villains and that should help clarify, but this does not mean one time villains that weren't done away with such as King Ramsey will make an appearance as well, this also includes allies/friends like Kitty and Bunny, the hunch back, I will also be doing the notion that Kitty and Katz are brother and sister because I just really like that idea)**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Courage screamed as he ran down the hall of the farmhouse's second floor.

Letting fear be the main force propelling himself forward Courage in seemingly record breaking time reached the attic stairs before promptly bolting up them and dashing inside. After this was done Courage once more in seemingly record breaking time brought up the ladder, closed the attic's door, then proceeded to barricade it with objects he seemed to be getting from thin air, one of which being an unexplained bath tub. Taking only but a moment to look at the now towering mountain of objects he had atop of the attic's door to ensure it was somewhat safe, Courage then made his way towards his chair in front of Computer before quickly taking a seat which of course did not go unnoticed.

"Well look who it is." Computer began in his usual British tone "Tell me are you here for pleasantries or are you going to just smash my keys as you always do?" It continued with it's typical sarcastic banter.

"NOWHERE POLICE!" Courage shouted as he hastily typed into the keyboard ignoring Computer all together.

"I'm afraid that won't work." Computer stated this time gaining the other's attention.

"And why not?!" Courage asked unable to cease in his panic.

"If you'll recall your "guests" practically blew up all of Nowhere before coming here, meaning no police or anyone else for that matter." Computer answered.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Courage shouted into the air as he pulled on his ears.

Suddenly though as if things weren't going bad enough a sudden rhythmic bashing was heard coming from the attic's door, being accompanied by the sight of the previously mentioned mountain of objects slightly bouncing as a result.

"WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO!?" He asked as he typed out the same question.

"I don't know why you're asking me it's not MY head they're after you twit." Computer replied.

Unfortunately for Courage before he could even respond the faint but clear sound of a fuse burning away reached his ears causing him to look towards the makeshift blockade.

"Good luck." Was all Computer had to say before it's screen turned off.

Running in place within his chair Courage unsure as to what to do to avoid what lied on the other side of that door looked around the room for any possible escape, which of course he did find but it wasn't something he was looking forward to.

"Oooooooooh I know i'm gonna regret this." He said before jumping down from his chair and taking a running start towards the attic's window.

However, just as he leapt into the air the bomb from beneath the blockade went off causing the previously mentioned unexplained bath tub to go flying from the blockade and towards Courage. With the only action available being to scream Courage did just that as the tub smashed right into him, through the attic's wall, and flew a good few yards from the farmhouse before crashing into the ground. Letting the pain just make itself at home within him Courage with whatever strength he had left pushed the tub off of him then let out a small bout of laughter, coming of course from not only the intense pain but also his new found delirium before passing out.

* * *

 _Much like the day before the farmhouse was quiet but in all honesty that had become the natural way of things for the farmhouse after Muriel and Eustace passed away. And as you might expect even though the the once somewhat lively abode was now as dark, dusty, and seemingly void of life as a graveyard, there was of course still one person left more specifically one dog. However even with the Bagges having passed away almost three weeks prior to the current day Courage while no longer crying and curled upon the once warm bed was still very much so depressed as one would be given the circumstances. Unfortunately for the farmhouse due to Courage's current state he didn't really bother with anything such as cleaning, tending to the garden, or even passing the time with Computer which caused the place to accumulate a mass of dust, cobwebs, and pests of all kinds._

 _Even so Courage just didn't have, for a lack of a better word the Courage to face life anymore, not saying of course he was contemplating joining the Bagges before his proper time but still without the comfort of Muriel or even the constant harassment of Eustace he just didn't have the strength to properly deal with being all alone again. But alas even in his very saddened state Courage did need something every once and a while to break the silence, so when these times would arise he found himself laying on the living room rug before taking the remote into his paw and watching the TV. However, before he was able to turn the TV on a sudden knocking at the door caught his attention causing him to look towards it in curiosity._

 _"Who could that be?..." He asked aloud his voice seeming to be tired and heavy more than likely due to his irregular sleep schedule._

 _Deciding that there was no point in laying there and waiting for more continuous knocks before the individual on the other side understood no one was there to deal with them, or at the very least no one who cared, Courage willed himself off of the rug before heading over to the door and opening it._

 _"Look I don't want any trouble so just-" He began to say until he saw who was on the other side to which his formerly drooping eyes shot wide open._

 _Standing there was not one, not two, not three, and not even four but a group of villains that he was ALL too familiar with, especially one in particular who seemed to be leading them._

 _"Hello dear boy." The calm sophisticated voice of Katz greeted before it's owner looked down at him with his dagger like gaze and glowing yellow eyes._

 _Unfortunately for Katz and the other villains present before they could even attempt to say another word or make any kind of sound the scream for which they all knew too well rang out through the air followed by the slamming of the farmhouse's door in their faces. Not wasting a second after having slammed the door Courage shot right up the stairs with his legs seeming to be on autopilot as they steered him towards the attic._

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed as he ran before suddenly stopping "Wait a minute!" He exclaimed before coming to a screeching halt "Why does this all seem so familiar?" He asked placing a paw to his chin._

 _"Because dear boy this is a dream you're having." Katz informed him causing the other to jump back in surprise._

 _"D-DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!" Courage shouted back pointing a finger towards him._

 _"There's no need to be afraid Courage." Katz stated as he walked over arms behind his back "I'm nothing more than a figment of your mind, in fact all of this is." He added gesturing to the hallway surrounding them._

 _"B-but that still doesn't explain why all of this is so familiar!" Courage rebutted._

 _"Oh my don't tell me you don't recall as to WHY you're dreaming in the first place." Katz replied only to receive an unsure look and shrug as response "Hmm...it seems you were dealt FAR more than just a temporary state of unconsciousness..." He muttered as he placed a paw to his chin._

 _"What do you mean?" Courage asked turning his head to the side out of confusion._

 _However instead of getting a verbal answer Courage received a far more physical one as Katz brought down a mallet onto his head knocking him out as it did._

 _"Hmm...I wonder if this will worsen his amnesia given it's just happening in his mind?..." He asked before shrugging it off and heading towards the stairs with the mallet over his shoulder._

* * *

"Look he's waking up!" A voice exclaimed it being hard to make out due to it being the first thing to break the darkness.

Speaking of which, after having been whacked on the head by a mallet from dream Katz Courage was surrounded by a veil of darkness, but only for a few seconds as his eyes began to open and light poured in. Taking a few moments to blink as to adjust to the sudden brightness of his surroundings Courage then raised his paws to his eyes before promptly rubbing them in order to not only wake up faster but to see more clearly. But as he slowly began to take his paws away from his eyes so he could fully take in where he was by god did he wish he hadn't. For as his eyes finally could make out the things around him they soon shot wide open as the sight of Katz, Cajun Fox, Le Quack, Big toe, and Weremole all stared directly at him.

What made it even worse though was as he saw all of them just standing there looking at him he noticed that not only were they in his living room but he was also being held by someone, and upon slowly tilting his head back to see who it was did he discover it was in fact the queen of the black puddle.

"Why hello there Courage~" She spoke in her usual smooth soothing tone, which to anyone else who was not familiar with her would find relaxing and as stated soothing, but of course Courage was familiar with it so instead of feeling the previously stated emotions he instead did what you would expect which was scream.

"AAAAA-" He began to sound until a muzzle was suddenly clasped on his mouth.

"There will be no more of that dear boy." Kats stated as he drew his paws back from the muzzle whilst staring into the terrified eyes of Courage "Now you no doubt have questions which you of course want answers to, so when you are ready to ACTUALLY speak instead of just screaming your head off then I shall remove the muzzle." He explained.

Taking a moment to think on what he said Courage, although unsure as to whether or not he should even be trusting whatever it was that was going on here, decided that since he wasn't dead yet that maybe he was somewhat safe which did calm him down significantly.

"Are you ready to speak now?" Katz asked earning a nod in response "Very good then." He added before removing the muzzle.

Raising a paw to his mouth to make sure the muzzle didn't leave any kind of mark even in it's short time of being on his face, Courage after doing this wasted no time in looking towards Katz, putting his hands on his hips, and giving him his most stern glare possible.

"What've you done with Muriel?" He asked hoping to get an answer.

However instead of a laugh, chuckle, or even just an immediate response from not only Katz but ANY of the villains, what Courage got instead was confused looks from all of them.

"What are you talking about little doggie you know exactly what has become of that old woman." Le Quack replied being the first.

"No I don't, one minute I'm sleeping all nice and cozy with Muriel in bed the next I'm waking up with all of you here!" Courage responded his glare ceasing to falter.

"I think the dog's got a screw loose or somethin his memory seems to not be working see?" Big Toe asked to which his other toes replied with a resounding "YEAH!".

"It does seem like he's completely clueless about everything, which MIGHT be due to a certain little birdie blowin him clear across the way." Cajun Fox added looking towards Le Quack as he did.

"Oh? and what was YOUR brilliant plan to get him out of le attic hm? because if I recall correctly not one of you had any better plans than just to ram it till it gave way." Le Quack responded defending his reasoning,

"Enough." Katz spoke whilst looking over his shoulder bringing silence to room once more before he returned his gaze to Courage "Dog do you have any idea as to what day it was when you went to sleep?" He asked.

Unsure as to where he was going with this Courage deeming it best to just go along with it so he wouldn't get maimed or worse put a paw to his chin to think on it, doing his best to give as accurate of an answer as possible knowing very well that's what Katz was expecting.

"Well..." He began squinting his eyes as he strained for details "Before we went to bed we ate one of Muriels pies...it was blueberry...and we only have blueberry pie for dessert usually on a Saturday...so I guess Saturday." He finished reopening his eyes as he did.

"And you have no idea in the slightest what the month that day was in happened to be?" Katz asked an eyebrow raised.

Returning to his previous pose Courage thought as hard as he could as to what month it was, why it was important he didn't know but still even with the threat of Katz or the others for some reason getting mad at his lack of an answer, no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't come up with what the other was looking for, so after a few more moments he reopened his eyes once more before giving a shrug as his response.

"I see..." Katz hummed before closing his eyes "Dog go into the kitchen and wait for us to beckon you back here understand?" He asked.

Still confused as to what was going on as well as worried about where Muriel was, Courage still devoted to staying on their good side hopped down from Queenie's lap and walked to the kitchen. After waiting a few moments for the kitchen door to stop moving back and forth, all the villains eyes then went to Katz who still had his eyes closed obviously thinking about something.

"So what's the plan then pussy cat?" Cajun asked as he crossed his arms "It's obvious he don't remember a thing about what's happened, again probably due to a certain fowl who shan't be named." He added "subtly" pointing to Le Quack with his thumb as he did.

"I do not care for your tone fox." Le Quack responded before pulling out his medical bag from nowhere "How about I fix that for you hm?" He asked.

However before the two could continue with their little squabble Katz simply snapped his fingers to reestablish order before opening his eyes.

"Here's what is going to happen." He began before looking towards each villain one by one "It is clear that he has a case of amnesia and whether or not it was caused by the earlier explosion is irrelevant for what truly matters is the upside to such an occurrence." He informed them.

"Which is?" Queenie asked as she rested her head on her hand.

"We all came here to check upon our adversary since the word of his owners passing reached us." Katz began once more "And we all knew very well how...shall we say challenging it was going to be to help him through this time given the state he was more than likely to be in." He continued before looking towards the kitchen door "But now thanks to this sudden amnesia that is no longer an issue, we can restore our enemy to proper health now without having to deal with any sort of complications." He finished.

"And what exactly makes you think the dog's gonna let us stay here let alone help him get back to a hundred percent see? not to mention he thinks we have the old lady see?" Big toe asked earning a collective "YEAH!" from the other toes.

"It's simple really, the amnesia benefits us in more ways than one mainly with the belief that the woman is still alive, we can use that to reinforce our place here we simply have to tell him that if he wishes to get the woman back unharmed he must do exactly as we say." katz explained.

"But won't he get suspicious of us when he realizes what we're forcing him to do isn't trying to kill him?" Le Quack asked.

"No because I have every bit of confidence that anything Cajun tries to feed him will be proof enough we still wish for his utter demise." Katz assured.

"Yeah!...HEY WAIT A MINUTE!" Cajun began to shout only to be bitten on the leg by the Weremole "OW!" He exclaimed as he gripped his shin.

"Thank you weremole." Katz stated earning a nod from the other "But in all seriousness everyone if we're going to make this work than we're going to need help getting this place into proper shape" He stated as he wiped off a very thick amount of dust from the rocking chair's arm with his finger "And I know just whom to call in that regard." He added before heading towards the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Queenie asked as she and the others watched him ascend.

"I'm going to use the computer we saw up in the attic to send a message to those who shall help us, in the mean time the rest of you begin cleaning as well as make sure the mutt doesn't go outside, we can't have him stumbling into the barn." Katz instructed before disappearing from sight.

And thus with their orders in hand the villains got to work all the while Courage remained in the kitchen hiding and shaking under the table.

 **(A/N: To keep this short called BWQ Queenie because it's shorter and easier, same goes for Cajun Fox being simply called Cajun)**


	2. Even More Arrivals

Dumbfounded, confused, and somewhat infuriated are just a few of the words that can be used to describe Katz right now as he sits across from what he originally believed to be an inanimate object. Given that the object in question was still technically inanimate, but it did seem to possess a level of sophistication and intelligence that rivaled even his. Even so, with those two compliments being made there were a plethora of issues, complaints, and overall hate fueled insults that he had towards the computer who after their initial encounter a mere few seconds ago kept silent, no doubt waiting for Katz to speak and/or type to it once more.

"Are you just going to sit there all day and stare at me or are you ACTUALLY going to do something?" It asked completely destroying Katz' assumption as to why it had remained silent for so long.

"...How are you even able to acknowledge me, you're a computer." Katz responded wishing to get rid of the massive elephant in the room before anything else which caused the computer to let out an audible sigh.

"Look I could go on and on and on about how and why I'm far more intelligent than you appear to be at this moment." Computer insulted causing the other's left eye to twitch slightly "However you came up here for one of two things, A. To ask me something or to do something with me or B. Fix the massive gaping hole in the wall." He added.

Taking a moment to look for himself before responding Katz did feel his eyes widen a small bit as he turned his head to the left, only to be met with nearly the entirety of the wall missing from the explosion earlier.

"How did I miss that?..." He asked aloud unsure as to how such an obvious thing could go unnoticed.

"Probably because you're a twit." Computer answered to which Katz grabbed him by the monitor.

"Alright now listen you bucket of wires and parts, I'm getting a little tired of your sarcastic remarks and statements, so if you wish to remain as a WHOLE you will stop." He warned.

"No need to go and get violent we're just speaking to one another after all." Computer replied "Even though I have every right to make remarks given I now have a fourth of my room missing." He added.

Seeing as though this...thing wasn't going to cease in it's sarcastic tone and overall demeanor, even with it's very existence being threatened, Katz reluctantly released it from his grasp letting out a heavy sigh as he did.

"Look I just need to contact someone, are you capable of doing that?" Katz asked pinching the bridge of his nose out of irritation.

"Who would you like to reach?" Computer asked progressing the conversation without the need for back and forth banter.

"My sister Kitty and her partner Bunny." Katz answered a bit pleased with how civilized things seemed to be going suddenly.

"Kitty and Katz...either your parents despised your existence or they were oblivious as to what they were to begin with." Computer remarked causing the other's eye to begin twitching again.

However before Katz could show his displeasure with the device before him or even threaten him once more, it spoke again with it's words unsettling him slightly.

"Oh my..." Computer began taking a moment of pause before continuing "It seems that contacting her won't be necessary." He informed causing the other to raise a brow.

"What do you mean?" Katz asked.

"It seems that your sister and her "partner" as you called her are on their way over here as we speak." Computer clarified causing the other's eyes to widen.

"Wait what? how is that possible?" Katz asked unsure as to how or why his sister would be coming here.

"Well if you could stop interrupting me with your pointless questions I will explain it for you you twit." Computer answered before continuing "It appears as though your sister and Bunny got on a plane two days ago in Paris which was headed to Nowhere." He explained "However the plane landed just a few hours ago, so more than likely they are only about a few minutes away give or take." He added.

Choosing to ignore the sarcastic comment Katz began to think as to why his dog hating sister would be coming here of all places, but as "luck" would have it Computer answered the questions that were starting to form in his mind.

"If you're wondering which you no doubt are as to why your sister is coming here, it should be noted that Courage is the one who not only reunited her with Bunny but also saved Bunny from that atrocious Mad Dog." Computer informed.

"Wait you're serious?" Katz asked astonished by this revelation.

"Do I have any reason not to be?" Computer asked in return "In all honesty though shouldn't YOU know that, given the fact that you seem to be aware she and Bunny are together now?" He added.

"Well...no, iI found out that they were back together when she sent me a postcard from Paris a while back, but it didn't have any sort of details as to HOW they were reunited." Katz explained.

"Ah." Was all Computer had to say in response "Regardless of that though you might want to prepare for their arrival starting with your biggest issue." He stated causing the other to raise a brow once more.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Look outside you twit." Computer replied before turning off it's monitor.

Confused as to what it meant by that statement Katz upon looking through the massive hole in the room felt his eyes widen as the sight of Courage running away from Weremole graced his vision.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Courage screamed as he ran from the house trying to gain as much distance as possible from the being whom was right on his tail.

"RAWR!" Weremole roared as it chased after him.

For reasons unknown to him much like everything else the moment the muffled voices of the villains suddenly went silent, so Courage letting curiosity take control peeked ever so slightly out of the kitchen door only to be greeted by the face of Weremole directly on the other side. Of course like any sane and rational person upon coming face to face with a ravenous Weremole would do, Courage screamed bloody murder before bolting out of the backdoor with the Weremole soon following after. Unfortunately for Courage however, as he continued to run away his ears picked up that instead of running after him the Weremole had begun to burrow after him. Knowing very well at how fast Weremole could dig, Courage mustering up as much strength and willpower as he had pushed himself to run even faster at the slight possibility he would be able to keep ahead of Weremole.

Alas though even if he were able to somehow miraculously stay ahead of the ravenous beast that chased him, as Courage after making a sharp turn around the farmhouse in hopes of slowing the other down made his way towards the road, he was soon stopped dead in his tracks by another horrific sight. Much like the first time he encountered it a black puddle resided directly in front of the farmhouse, but what made it TRULY horrifying was that it's...master? began to rise from it causing him to shake in terror.

"Courage~" The voice of Queenie called as she finished ascending from the water.

Although as he normally would in a scenario such as this, Courage wanted nothing more than to scream in terror but his ever so faithful ears picked up once more on the sound of Weremole burrowing towards him, it being much louder now though due to the distance being shortened. So instead of standing there petrified and screaming Courage not wanting to be chewed and eaten by either of them simply bolted off in a diagonal direction heading straight towards the road. However as Courage continued to run and his ears were far too focused on listening for Weremole's digging, he failed to notice a taxi cab speeding down the road heading for the farm house as he neared the road.

"COURAGE LOOK OUT!" Queenie called out trying to stop him from being hit.

Unfortunately her words fell on fear stuffed ears for as Courage reached the road he didn't notice the taxi until it was about twelve feet or so away from him. Which to be fair is still a pretty sizable distance but taking into consideration as to how fast it was going it would be upon him in seconds.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed once more now this time fully able to let out his fear in his usual way but also frozen in place due to said fear.

Unable to do anything but stare wide eyed and scream Courage waited to be hit head on by the vehicle, that is until it's driver suddenly slammed on the brakes causing the tires to screech as it soon enough came to stop mere inches from his face. Amazed that the vehicle was able to stop so well, Courage sadly wasn't able to enjoy his avoidance of the collision for the moment he stopped screaming through a combination of his fear, his exhaustion from running, and overall not so healthy state he sure enough passed out in the road. Thankfully though, the moment the cab was stopped the two back doors opened only to reveal the cab's passengers as none other than Bunny and Kitty.

"COURAGE!" They both shouted before running over to him.

Kneeling down to the ground so they could ensure he wasn't hurt, both Bunny and Kitty after seeing no visible wounds on his person did note that he appeared to have bags under his eyes, as well as seemed to be a bit skinny since the last time they saw him.

"Oh my what's happened to him?!" Bunny asked worried sick as the sight of their hero mortified her.

"I don't know, but we need to get him inside right away!" Kitty exclaimed as Bunny scooped him into her arms.

"HEY!" Di Lung shouted as he poked his head out of the window "What about my money you fool?!" He asked obviously not concerned for the dog he just avoided hitting.

"Do you SERIOUSLY think we're going to pay you after you nearly hit Courage?!" Kitty questioned taken aback by not only his lack of concern but also where his mind seemed to be.

"Dumb dog ran in front of me, if it weren't for you would've gotten what he deserved HAHAHAHA!" He responded with a laugh showing just how much he didn't care.

However, as he laughed at the thought of hitting Courage and either flattening him or sending him flying away, Di Lung failed to notice Kitty walk up to him whilst bringing out her claws until she was right next to him and began to savagely claw his face. Meanwhile as she did this, Bunny who was just about to run towards the farmhouse was shocked to see two people one a person and a mole of some kind run towards her.

"COURAGE!" Queenie shouted as she reached them whilst trying to take him from Bunny's arms, which of course caused Bunny to pull away from her reach.

"Who are you?" She asked immediately not even bothering to assume that this strange duo were friends of Courage.

"We are two of Courage's caretakers, so if you don't mind I'd like it if you hand him over to me." Queenie answered a bit irritated at this reaction towards them.

"And why exactly should I believe you?" Bunny asked not budging on the matter in the slightest.

"Because if you don't then we'll just take him by force." Queenie replied to which Weremole nodded in agreement.

Thankfully though before any kind of violence or regretted words could occur, the sudden sound of a clap rang out from behind Queenie and Weremole causing them as well as Bunny to look behind them, to which they found Katz standing a foot or so away.

"There will be no such action." He stated before walking over slowly keeping his eyes on the two as he did "This person is Bunny, she happens to be the love of my sister's life, and if you so much as insinuate any sort of harm towards her I will happily take you both to my motel to have some alone time with my lovelies, understand?" He asked earning two simultaneous nods and gulps as a response.

"Katz what're you doing here?" Bunny asked as she looked towards him her eyes widened from surprise.

"Believe it or not Bunny what these two stated was true, they as well as myself and a few others are now the caretakers of the dog." Katz answered pointing towards Courage as he did.

Unfortunately for Bunny though before she could ask anymore questions, the sounds of suitcases hitting the ground were heard before an audible gasp soon followed.

"BIG BROTHER?!" Kitty asked before promptly running into him and pulling him into a massive hug.

"H-Hello there Kitty g-good to see you as well..." Katz replied straining a bit to speak due to his sister's iron clad bear hug.

"Oh what a wondrous surprise this is! we were only expecting to find Courage here!" She exclaimed causing her eyes to widen as a thought entered her mind "Wait..." She began before pulling away from the hug to look at Katz, her once present smile now becoming a look of seriousness and anger "Brother do NOT tell me you are behind Courage's current condition..." She warned knowing very well what some of her brother's favorite "hobbies" were.

"I can assure you Kitty I and the others are not responsible for the dog's current condition." He replied before looking towards Courage "With that being said though, it would be best if we continued this within the farmhouse where we can properly deal with this situation." He added.

And thus with Weremole and Queenie carrying the luggage as punishment for their attitudes towards Bunny, the group made their way towards the farmhouse with an unconscious Courage in tow.


	3. Answers

Ah silence, normally it brings peace and perhaps a comforting aura, but if misused or put into the wrong setting it can set a very eerie, unnerving, and overall uncomfortable vibe, so essentially the exact opposite of what you'd want. This was the tone of the room inside the farmhouse's living room as Kitty and Bunny both sat on a couch with Courage in between them who was still unconscious from his near death experience. However what brought the awkwardness of the situation wasn't that Courage was unconscious, nor was it the mountain of concerns and questions they had on their minds, it was instead their present company that made this uneasy. Excluding Katz of course as well as Queenie and Weremole because of their recent encounter with the two, Kitty and Bunny didn't really know how to react to a sunglasses wearing fox, a french duck who seemed to be not all there, and of course the giant purple and green sentient foot.

But thankfully the silence and uncomfortable atmosphere would soon come to an end as the sound of a kitchen timer going off rang through the air.

"OH! that's my chicken pot pie!" Cajun spoke as he made his way towards the kitchen.

"Please tell me you didn't use any of the chickens from the coop..." Katz sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Of course I didn't what do ya think I am a moron?" Cajun asked stopping at the kitchen's doorway whilst placing a hand on his hip "Believe it or not I got it from the fridge but because it was a bit past it's prime so I had to add some flavor to counteract it, so I hope yall ain't too picky bout flavor." He added before disappearing past the door.

"I think now would be ze best time for questions to be answered before we all die from zhat fox's mockery of cooking." Le Quack stated earning a collective nod in agreement from everyone else.

"I HEARD THAT!" Cajun called from the kitchen.

"ANYWAY." Katz stated with an eye roll as he looked towards his sister and Bunny "As Le Quack said you two no doubt have questions that obviously you wish to have answered correct?" He asked.

Looking to each other Bunny and Kitty silently debated on which question they wanted to ask first, but after just a few short seconds they settled on the obvious one.

"Why are all of you here?" They asked in unison as they returned their gaze towards Katz.

"Well in all honesty..." Katz began as he crossed his arms whilst closing his eyes "We've been here for a VERY long time..." He continued beginning to reminisce.

* * *

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Courage screamed with everything he had, his arms flailing wildly and his lungs feeling as though they could collapse at any second._

 _He'd never screamed this hard before, but he knew very well that if this didn't work then the villains that stood just opposite to him on the other side of the room would finally get their revenge and that would be the end of him. However, as he continued to scream with everything he had the house began to shake violently along with the very ground beneath his feet, causing not only the villains to try and keep their balance but also Eustace who sat upon the steps._

 _"STUPID DOG WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!" He shouted as he gripped the stairs' railing for stability._

 _Ignoring his words Courage kept on screaming, even though it seemed that the air in his lungs was just about to dissipate and he would shrivel up like a deflated balloon he kept going, beginning to rip apart his own dodge ball jersey as a means to keep him distracted from his shrinking lungs. Thankfully this seemed to work, for as he stayed committed to his screaming the ground began to shake even more violently to the point where cracks began to form, and soon enough they all began to connect to one another around the villains' feet. And thus as the final cracks met each other the ground beneath the villains broke apart causing them to plummet into a dark abyss from which they would never been seen again._

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" They all screamed their collective expression of terror almost matching Courage's._

 _"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Cajun shouted breaking away from his fear filled screaming to look at Katz "IF WE HAD JUST KILLED THAT DOG WHEN WE HAD THE CHANCE INSTEAD OF PLAYING A STUPID GAME OF DODGE BALL, WE WOULDN'T BE FALLING RIGHT NOW!" He added pointing towards the other as he did._

 _"OH YES THIS IS ALL MY FAULT BECAUSE I WAS SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT INSUFFERABLE MUTT WOULD HAVE LUNGS AND VOCAL CHORDS CAPABLE OF BREAKING APART THE EARTH ITSELF!" Katz retorted as his normal collected self flew out the window and was replaced with pure rage._

 _"I TOLD YA WE SHOULD'VE JUST PUT THE SQUEEZE ON HIM SEE?! WE WOULD BE DANCING AROUND ALL HAPPY LIKE ON TOP OF HIS DEAD BODY IF WE DID SEE?!" Big Toe shouted earning a collective of "YEAHS!" from the other toes._

 _"WE SHOULD HAVE JUST BLOWN UP ZE HOUSE BUT NOOOOOOOO YOU ALL WANTED TO PLAY A GAME WITH ZE LITTLE DOGGIE YOU WANTED TO TORTURE HIM BEFORE HIS GOOSE WAS EH HOW YOU SAY COOKED!" Le Quack shouted._

 _"OOOOOOOOOOOOH DON'T EVEN TRY TO ACT LIKE YOU'RE INNOCENT IN ALL OF THIS YOU TWO!" Queenie shouted as she balled her hands into fists "IF WE HAD DONE WHAT I WANTED WHICH WAS LURE HIM INTO A TRAP INSTEAD OF THIS STUPID GAME HE WOULD BE THE ONE FACING HIS DEATH AND NOT US!" She shouted._

 _"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!" Weremole shouted although it wasn't a hate filled shout more so just a means to get their attentions._

 _"WHAT?!" They all asked as they looked towards it._

 _Answering them by pointing downwards the villains looked beneath them, only to have their eyes widen at the sight of the pit's end closing in._

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" They all began to scream once more as it seemed their deaths would soon be upon them._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _...Or not?..._

 _Waiting a few moments to feel the ground meet their bodies and the sound of breaking bones to fill the air, all the villains felt surprise when for some reason it didn't come._

 _"A-Are we d-dead?..." Cajun asked too scared to open his eyes._

 _"I-I'm not sure..." Katz replied as he also did not wish to open his eyes "W-We might still be in free fall..." He added._

 _"B-But the ground was so close see? h-how could we not have h-hit it yet see?" Big Toe asked earning a collective "Y-Yeah..." from the other toes._

 _"M-Maybe ze death was s-so quick we did not feel anything, p-perhaps we snapped our necks so it was a f-fast death..." Le Quack suggested._

 _"I-I dunno, all I know is I don't want to open my eyes..." Queenie replied._

 _However, as they expected to hear a whimper from Weremole in regards to the situation they all felt even more surprise when instead of any sort of acknowledgement from them they heard what seemed like munching._

 _"W-What?..." They all asked in unison slowly opening their eyes._

 _Upon prying open their eyelids to see what was causing that sound, their once reluctant eyes shot wide open as the sight of an ocean of vegetables and fruit of all shapes, sizes, and kinds filled their vision, with Weremole seeming to swim through it all by eating._

 _"...I am so confused right now..." Cajun admitted as they all slowly got to their feet, except for Big Toe._

 _"But we saw it! the bottom of ze cavern it was right before us!" Le Quack pointed out as they looked around the room._

 _"NO YOU SAW US!" A voice suddenly called out from beneath them._

 _Slowly moving their eyes downward all of the villains somehow miraculously made their eyes open even more as the sight of sentient eggplants came into view._

 _"NOW WOULD YOU GET OFF OF US?!" The same voice asked causing them all to jump backwards in their own directions._

 _"W-WHAT IN THE WORLD?!" Queenie asked as the eggplant slowly began to stand._

 _"Geez you guys nearly squashed us..." The voice from before commented as it's owner revealed itself, they in question being one of the eggplants but with the uniqueness of a helmet like headpiece they wore "Good thing we eggplants are resilient though otherwise it would've been BAAAAAAAAAAAAAD news." It added as it dusted itself off._

 _"H-HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?! EGGPLANTS ARE VEGETABLES THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ALIVE!" Katz asked unable to remove his gaze from the sentient vegetables before him._

 _"Yeah well the last time I checked cats aren't supposed to be underground now are they?" It returned with it's own question before putting it's roots on it's...hips?_

 _"W-We fell down here, but that still don't explain how you are walkin and talkin right now!" Cajun countered a bit calmer now but obviously still shocked by this sudden development._

 _"Look me and my lieutenant will explain everything to ya on one condition." It offered before pointing to the sode with it's left root "CALL OFF THAT BEAST!" It shouted._

 _Turning their heads the villains saw Weremole still eating wildly, munching rows through the seemingly endless sea of natural goodies. But thankfully all it took to stop the ravenous little mole was amazingly a whistle from Le Quack which not only gained the other's attention but beckoned it over._

 _"Alright." Le Quack stated as Weremole came over and sat with the others "Now that we have stopped Weremole from ravaging all of your goods tell us now little eggplant how any of zis is even possible." He demanded he seeming to have regained all of his composure._

 _"RATATOUILLE!" It shouted as a very skin blue colored eggplant suddenly popped it's head up right next to him "Get up here so we can explain to these guys what's goin on." It ordered causing the other to nod before amazingly jumping out of it's place to stand beside him "Now where to begin..." It started as it placed a root to it's...chin before explaining._

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

... _Wow._

 _That was the only word that came to the villains' minds, for as the two sentient eggplants began to not only explain how they were what they were but also where all the other fruits and veggies came from they began to learn things that shocked them to no end. First off it seemed as though they were not the only ones to ever come toe to toe with Courage, in fact as the eggplants finished their own story and the villains began to ask questions they learned that because they were below the farmhouse that the eggplants basically had a front row seat to EVERYTHING that went on there. Then as they continued to ask questions about the things that were being said to them, they began to see just how much Courage went through. From extraterrestrial ducks and zombie directors to ghastly vandals and giant robots, it seemed that while they of course were by no means non threatening nor lacking in intimidation, they truly did not measure up to everything else that had been thrown at him._

 _Furthermore though as the eggplants continued on and on with stories and answers, they all slowly realized just how much Muriel meant to Courage, of course they assumed he would have an affection towards her given he was her dog and what not but their relationship was far more than just a simple pet and owner._ _It was more so like a loving mother and her child as she'd cook for him, rock him to sleep in her chair, and whenever possible showed him unconditional love no matter what day it was nor what circumstances they might be in. Whether she was being held hostage, controlled, or even being sent into a quilt of all things, it mattered not if the danger was still present or finally dealt with, both he and her showed and shared their obvious affection towards each other. And although they were not afraid to admit that they were much like him, nor were they going to deny their association with him, the villains did come to realize just how HORRIBLE the farmer had been to Courage, if anything HE was his biggest threat!_

 _Looking past sharp teeth, deadly explosives, high powered weapons, and even supernatural forces, it seemed as though the very purpose for Eustace's existence besides being absurdly greedy, which Big Toe and Le Quack respected, was to absolutely torture Courage by either hitting him, throwing him, kicking him, or even just plain out scaring the life out of him at times._ _Which mind you did cause them to develop a new found hatred towards him, mainly because due to his near daily torture of Courage that more than likely made him into the adversary he is, as well as the reason behind why his scream was so powerful. Regardless of that though, after what felt like several hours the eggplants had finally finished not only recounting all of the things they had witnessed but also answering the villains questions._

 _"Wow..." Cajun said finally saying what had been on everyone's minds besides their questions of course._

 _"Yup that dog is something." Bobby Ganoush stated as he crossed his roots._

 _"And to think just a short while ago I thought talking eggplants was the weirdest thing I'd ever heard of..." Queenie said completely dumbfounded._

 _"Wait..." Katz spoke a sudden realization coming to mind "That still doesn't explain what all of these fruits and vegetables are for, you didn't once address that." He pointed out._

 _"Oh right yeah!" Ratatouille exclaimed before suddenly adorning a look of dread "Um...do you think we should tell'em or no?" He asked looking towards Bobby._

 _"Tell us what see?" Big Toe asked earning a collective "Yeah what?" from the other toes._

 _"Well..." Bobby began as he rubbed the back of his...head? with one of his roots "You see, after Courage helped us out and we started watchin all the stuff that happened we suddenly realized how many times Muriel's escaped...well ya know.." He continued looking to the ground as he did, his face now matching his lieutenant's "And that's when it hit us, it seems like no matter what comes his way Courage always pulls through in the end to save Muriel, but there's one thing he can't stop and when that happens he's gonna need someone to take care of him..." He finished hoping they'd get the picture._

 _"What do you mean? what is it he cannot stop?" Le Quack asked._

 _Looking between themselves both eggplants dreading the thought of it heaved heavy sighs before Bobby answered._

 _"She's an old lady...and much like a plant when it get's too old...it withers away..." He clarified hoping he wouldn't have to be more detailed._

 _Thankfully the villains did pick up on what he was insinuating and surprisingly enough it hit them much harder than they had anticipated. It was true they all had the intention at one point or another, with the exception of Queenie until recently, to end her life for some plan they had. However, the moment Courage entered the mix and began to thwart them, it became almost an essential part of their schemes then on to see him fail, as if it was no longer just a bonus of success. But as they thought more and more on the day Muriel would no longer be around their thoughts then went to Courage and what would become of him after that occurred._

 _It was obvious especially now thanks to the eggplants that Muriel was Courage's whole life, she was the one person he'd do anything for so if she were to go then would that be it?_ _As this idea began to weigh heavy on their minds they became oblivious to their surroundings, so as a startled eggplant suddenly began to run towards them from one of the cavern's multiple entrances, only Bobby and Ratatouille took notice._

 _"GENERAL GENERAL!" It shouted as it approached them._

 _"What is it private? you look like you've seen a ghost!" Bobby noted as the eggplant reached them._

 _"IT'S HORRIBLE SIR JUST HORRIBLE!" It continued to shout not answering the other's question._

 _"THEN SPIT IT OUT MAN WHAT IS IT?!" Bobby shouted now alarmed by the way this eggplant was acting._

 _"CODE RED!" It finally answered screaming this time which in turn got the villains' attentions._

 _"Wait what?" They all asked in unison excluding Weremole of course._

H _owever before they could ask more about it Bobby, Ratatouille, and the eggplant suddenly with no explanation whatsoever took off running towards a tunnel at one end of the cavern._

 _"HEY WAIT!" The villains shouted as they got to their feet and ran after them "WHAT IS CODE RED!?" They asked whilst giving chase._

 _Following the eggplants through the tunnels without getting any answers, the villains after a short period of running found themselves in a new cavern this one having countless amount sentient eggplants as well as a periscope, which Bobby was currently looking through._

 _"It can't be it just can't be!" Bobby exclaimed as he began to turn from left to right frantically._

 _Still very much so unsure as to what was happening the villains slowly but carefully began to wade their way through the masses of concerned onlooking eggplants until they eventually reached Bobby._

 _"Alright." Katz began before crossing his arms "Would you PLEASE inform us as to what "code red" is and WHY it's such a big deal?" He asked looking towards the other with a stern glare._

 _Seeming to ignore his words, Katz was about to speak once more to gain Bobby's attention until the other slowly looked away from the periscope, gesturing towards it with one of his roots._

 _"Look for yourself..." He said sadness gripping each word that left his lips._

 _A bit taken back by the sudden change in emotion Katz pulled the periscope up to where it was more suitable for him to view through before looking in, where immediately he wish he hadn't. For standing there in front of the farmhouse's open barn was Courage who was looking at two tombstones which rested within the barn itself._

 _"W-What?..." He asked aloud drawing back from the periscope as he did._

 _"What's wrong Katz? what'd ya see?" Cajun asked surprised the other's reaction._

 _However instead of replying to him Katz within the blink of an eye had Bobby within his grip bringing him to eye level._

 _"How..." He began staring straight into the other's eyes "How is that even possible?! WE WERE JUST UP THERE!" He shouted desperate for an answer._

 _"No you weren't." Bobby stated not seeming to be intimidated by this interaction "You all fell down here almost a week ago you only JUST woke up." He clarified._

 _"WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE US UP THEN, WE LANDED ON YOU!" Katz countered._

 _"Huh gee, maybe that's because we had a fox, a cat, a weremole, a duck, a lady, and oh yeah A GIANT PURPLE FOOT LAND ON TOP OF US AND KNOCK US OUT!" Bobby rebutted._

 _Knowing very well that he would have some counter to whatever he could say Katz balling his free paw into a fist slowly put Bobby back on the ground._

 _"I still don't understand..." He began once more trying to wrap his head around it "Even if it's been a week since we fell down here how could something like this happen?" He asked._

 _"Like I said, when a plant get's too old it withers away." Bobby answered as he crossed his arms "Both she and the farmer were old people, not to mention all the stress and scares they've had thrown at them over the years, it was just a matter of when is all." He explained._

 _Several emotions swirled within Katz as he tried to make sense of everything such as WHY this was affecting him. Yes it's true that as they learned more about Courage and Muriel they began to understand their sort of admiration and need to have him be a part in their schemes, and yes it's true they didn't like the idea of him no longer being the worthy foe he had become to them, but still why was he so upset? For reasons unknown to him at the moment Katz without even answering Cajun's question looked towards Weremole before speaking._

 _"How fast can you dig us to the town?" He asked._

 _Unsure as to why he would need to know or wanted something like that to occur, Weremole thought about the question for a moment before saying in it's growls and snarls a week or so._

 _"Then get started right away." Katz ordered as he began to walk back towards the chamber they came from._

 _"Katz man what is goin on?" Cajun asked as he and the other villains looked towards the feline._

 _"I'll explain on the way." He simply replied before disappearing through the tunnel._

 _And thus with confusion taking them all the villains followed whilst the eggplants looked on with uncertainty._

* * *

"After I explained to them what I had seen and what we needed to do, we all agreed that we would first stop by the town of Nowhere before coming here as to get out all of our frustrations, due to this we spent a week or so in that cavern talking with those eggplants as well as eating the excess amount of food they had to regain our strengths." Katz explained as he finished the story.

"Oh my gosh..." Bunny said whilst placing a paw over her mouth.

During the retelling of that event Cajun had come back out of the kitchen with his chicken pot pie, which was not only surprisingly big enough for everyone to get a sizable piece but also was very pleasant. Regardless though even with the joyous surprise that Cajun's food was actually good and not hazardous to their health, the fact remained that the story which had been told while being a hard thing for Kitty and Bunny to hear was also a hard thing for the villains to revisit.

"There's still something I don't quite understand..." Kitty spoke as she looked to all of them "Why did this affect you all so much?..." She asked.

"Think of it like zis, we have spent ze last few years trying our best to outwit ze little doggie." Le Quack stated as he pointed towards the still unconscious Courage "So when ze thought of our greatest enemy being bested by ze trauma of losing ze most cherished thing in his life entered our minds, it did not sit well at all." He explained.

"Yeah see, how would you feel if someone who's outdone you no matter what just suddenly lost them self like the dog has see?" Big Toe asked earning a collective "Yeah!" from the other toes.

"Besides, we in all honesty began to see how much he's gone through all these years and yet still kept going." Queenie said as she looked towards Courage with a bit of sadness in her eyes "To think we'd find him as we did just lying on the rug seeming to be lifeless...that wasn't the Courage we've come to know." She admitted.

Taking a moment to take in what they all had said both Bunny and Kitty looked towards Courage with worry in their eyes the same thoughts coming to both their minds.

 _"They're right..."_ They thought as their lips formed into frowns _"This ISN'T the same Courage..."_ They acknowledged both gently placing their hands on his face.

"So what do you plan to do now ladies?" Cajun asked regaining their attentions "Now that you know why WE'RE here and then some, you still plannin on movin in here?" He asked as he pointed to their luggage "Or at least ,that's what it seems like you were plannin to do with them suitcases and all." He pointed out.

Giving one final look towards Courage as he slept beside them Bunny and Kitty didn't even need a moment to think as to what their answer was.

"Of course we are." They answered in unison.

"Well that's some good news." Katz answered, even with no smile you could tell there was a bit of satisfaction in his voice "Now that this has been dealt with I say we finish up our meal before returning to the work that needs to be done around here." He added earning a nod of agreement from everyone else.

And so as this unusual and very much so unlikely group of individuals finished up a chicken pot pie the sun above Nowhere began to descend, bringing the day to it's end.


	4. Everything Is As it Should Be

We all have something we wish to wake up to such as the sound of birds chirping, the smell of a finely made breakfast, and of course the best of them all absolutely nothing. Now if you're confused by what i mean when i say that dear reader allow me to elaborate basically the BANE of any peaceful sleeper is either that stray bit of sunlight that just seems to be aiming RIGHT for your eyes or of course THE DREADED TYRANT KNOWN AS THE ALARM CLOCK! So when i say absolutely nothing i mean that you do not awake from your peaceful glorious slumber until YOU yourself are good and ready. Of course though by now you might be thinking to yourself "What is this nut job going on about?" and to that i say KEEP YOUR CURIOUS LITTLE PATOOTIE PARKED RIGHT THERE AND WE WILL GET WHERE WE'RE GOING!...I'm sorry.

Aaaaaaaanyways as we move past whatever THAT was we look towards the sunny yet empty skies of Nowhere the MIDDLE of Nowhere to be precise where as the sun shines down upon this vast and near empty plain we see that it is in fact NOT empty and actually does miraculously house something ironically enough part of it is indeed a house. But not just any house mind you oh no THIS house is the farmhouse of Courage the cowardly dog and if you do not know of whom that is...do ya EVEN know what it is you are reading dear reader? because if ya don't then my god i gotta know how ya ended up here to begin with. Regardless of your possible AMAZING misdirection or just simplistic GOOF as we look towards the farmhouse of Courage the cowardly dog we find ourselves moving past the front door, up the wooden steps, through the second floor hall, and into a pretty nice bedroom as far as bedrooms go. It's nothing TOO special in the ways of royalty or the likes of a fancy hotel but still when you've had a rough day and just feel like crashing down onto a nice soft inviting bed this is indeed the most perfect bedroom for you.

But alas i bet now it has finally entered your minds the question as to why we are for some reason rambling on and on and on about mornings and sleep and a bunch of other nonsense instead of getting to the story you came to read right? Well it's simple really dear reader for IF you have indeed read the previous chapters which i hope you have otherwise nothing makes any sense or at the very least not as less as it could be then you for a fact know that Courage is NOT the only resident now within the farmhouse. And so the reason for my nonsensical ramblings as well as just delay from the ACTUAL material you came to see is all due to the fact that after the newly arrived roomies of Courage two of which he is still unaware of for he passed out just as they arrived did as much cleaning and maintenance as possible within the hours of the day that were left those said two arrivals as well as one established arrival put him to bed. However as the three who tucked him in and ensured that after the day and past days he's had he would have a peaceful slumber a certain underground dwelling creature sneaked into his room and snuggled into the bed.

So now ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends, Romans, gladiators, and spectators of all shapes, sizes, ages, orientations, and locations we now go to Courage as he begins to awake from his slumber.

"...*YAWN*..." Courage sounded as his mouth opened wide and released a heavy breath followed by the gentle smacking of his lips.

After not only yawning but also doing the routine smacking of the lips Courage not fully realizing where he was, how he got there, and overall just being oblivious to the series of unknown events which led to this point began to rapidly blink his squinted eyes in an attempt to adjust to the sunlight which poked through the bedroom's curtains. Sadly though as this proved to be non effective Courage then did the full proof way to fix ones vision which was rub his balled up paws on his eyes until every manner of moisture, crust, and other obstacle was removed so that he could see clearly. But as he began to pull his paws away from his face and look around the room he soon came onto a sight that peaked his curiosity. At the foot of the bed which is where he usually slept there seemed to be some unknown brown ball just sitting there.

Unsure as to why it was there as well as HOW it even got there Courage after wiggling from underneath the covers got on top of them and began to walk over. Upon reaching the ball Courage wanting to inspect it as anyone would put his paws on either side of it to which he made a terrifying discovery. This ball although appearing smooth from a distance was actually covered in fur and upon having touched it a head sprouted from the other side, turned to look at Courage, and upon doing so revealed itself to be none other than Weremole.

I think it's pretty obvious as to what happened next.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Courage screamed as his eyes popped out of his sockets and rolled onto the floor with his tongue following them right after by flopping out of his mouth.

 **(Note: We here at the lone lobster insurance agency would like to remind all readers this is a work of a fiction based on a work of fiction by no means should you attempt to try these amazingly awesome feats at your own abodes because otherwise you'll wind up in a biggest fails of the month compilation almost certainly).**

* * *

Whilst Courage screams upstairs at the sight of Weremole right before his eyes why don't we dear reader rewind time EVER so slightly and venture down into the kitchen to see what was going on there? why you ask? because i'm the writer and you're the reader so YOU ARE AT MY MERCY!

"Ah~" Katz pleasantly sighed as he sipped his morning cup of tea it having been made with a drop of honey to make it especially delightful.

Like every other villain Katz had his own little things he would do besides being a very orderly and sadistic individual things like drinking tea to soothe his nerves whenever he felt a bit TOO irritated, listening to classical music, and if things got REALLY bad or boring find some random person and have them "play" with his sweeties. But surprisingly this wasn't one of his emergency stress relief moments and so he just preferred instead of scorching hot coffee a nice refreshing tea as his wake me up. With that being said though after a few seconds passed he was about to go in for another sip of his tea when someone suddenly slapped the back of his head.

"...I hope you have your affairs in order..." He calmly spoke as his eye began to involuntarily twitch preparing to unsheathe his claws and grasp at the culprit's throat.

"Well normally my affairs match yours but i suppose we haven't gone over them in quite some time so there might be some differences." The voice of his sister Kitty replied causing his eyes to widen.

"Kitty?!" He asked turning to face her "Why on earth did you slap me?!" He added shocked that his own sister would assault him.

"Call it a safe bet." She answered before taking the seat across from his "So after we put Courage down for bed and me and Bunny went to our own room i got to thinking about the story you told us." She began whilst taking the tea kettle from the table along with an empty cup "And it made me realize something VEEEEEERY interesting." She continued slowly pouring the tea into the cup.

"Oh?" Katz asked unsure as to where she was even going with this.

"You see i noticed that at the VERY beginning of that little story you all seemed to be in the process of hurting Courage in some way." She clarified causing him to freeze "And even if i'm misunderstanding YOUR particular part in the whole thing big brother there's still the obviousness that is everyone else in this farmhouse excluding myself and Bunny of course has at one time or another tried to end Courage's life." She explained as she finished pouring her tea "And so by this when i learned thanks to that story you have apparently been with these individuals for some time that gives me reason to believe that you as well have made your fair share of attempts to kill him." She finished setting down the kettle gently as she did "Am i wrong?" She asked.

Feeling as though the devil himself was looking right at him Katz even though he kept his collected image intact beneath the surface of that exterior he was screaming bloody murder. For if you think that Katz and his ways are devious as well as awful you do not even wish to IMAGINE what Kitty is like when she is undoubtedly furious. And given we've already seen her bash Courage in their first encounter to near death with an assortment of objects where she was clearly upset imagine HOW furious she must be with her brother as of now to where she is hiding it so well in such a calm demeanor.

"I'm waiting for an answer big brother." Kitty said coldly as she took a small sip from her cup.

Trying his best to think on the spot of some explanation or even just a temporary dodging answer to her question Katz sadly found his normal suave and quick intellect failing him all the while he couldn't pry himself away from her analyzing gaze. Thankfully though whether it be due to a guardian angel behind him or simplistic universal writer's timing (*wink wink*) as he was about to attempt at some poor excuse an all too familiar scream rang through the air.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Courage screamed as like a bolt of lighting he suddenly zoomed into the kitchen at break neck speeds hiding under the table as he did.

"COURAGE?!" Kitty asked both surprised at his sudden appearance and state as well as the incredible speed at which he arrived "What's wrong?!" She asked looking at him.

Sadly although Kitty DID get her answer it came in the very form of the problem itself as Weremole suddenly came into the kitchen obviously having followed Courage. But of course even without the snarling, growling, and overall demeanor in which Weremole conducts itself it's very appearance alone was unnerving and since Courage was already terrified beyond belief that was i guess you could say the last bit of "oomf" needed to pull the pin from the grenade.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed once more before bolting from beneath the table and out the backdoor.

"Courage wait!" Kitty shouted as she got up from her seat and went to the backdoor only to find a very rapidly disappearing Courage as he ran off into the distance.

"I swear by whatever godly power lies within the heavens that you people have no sense about what you are even doing..." Katz groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose whilst closing his eyes.

"Rawr..." Weremole sounded sadly as they weren't trying to scare Courage in the first place.

* * *

You know you'd think that with his current condition of not having a proper meal rotation in quite sometime as well as just in general being pretty unhealthy Courage couldn't do much. But as we know Courage ain't like other dogs who run on bones, meat, and water no no no instead Courage is purely fear fueled so even if he was nothin but bones in the desert one wrong look from a scorpion and you can be rest assured said bones would be rattlin their way through the sands. However much like every other time when Courage is utterly terrified beyond belief he wasn't really paying attention to where he was running and so he failed to see the small shack on wheels before him until he collided face first with it.

"OOF!" He sounded as he bounced back slightly from the semi powerful collision rubbing his head as he did.

Looking up at what EXACTLY caused him to cease in his fear fueled dash across Nowhere Courage was surprised to see it was none other than Shirley the medium's mobile cart.

"Huh..." He sounded once more whilst scratching the side of his head a bit surprised to see her just kinda out here for some reason.

"Who's there?" The voice of Shirley called out no doubt as a response to the impact which had just occurred a few moments prior.

Before he could even move or make a sound such as a greeting Shirley poked her head out of one of the cart's windows looking down at him as she did.

"Oh it's you." She said with a bit of surprise in her eyes but no real change in tone of voice "What are you doing here?" She asked as she looked him over "And why do you seem so...different?" She asked a bit curious as to his current status of health.

Looking down at himself Courage was a bit surprised to see that he had actually lost a decent amount of weight to where although it wasn't showing all the time his ribs on a full release of breath definitely could be made out. The reason of course dear reader if you are confused as to why he's surprised at this is very simple remember that he has amnesia correct? well that means he doesn't remember not really taking care of himself all too well after...well ya know. But anyways as Courage was about to return his focus to her a sudden voice from within her cart causing chills to go up his spine.

"My dear miss Shirley could we perhaps continue our session?~" It asked it's tone smooth and silky with a very unnerving amount of familiarity to it.

"Right i am sorry." She said looking over her shoulder to respond before turning back to face Courage "I am sorry but i am with a client right now perhaps later we can catch up?" She asked.

"Mhm!" Courage responded a bit excited to catch up with Shirley.

"Good well then goodbye Courage." She stated as she began to pull her head back in.

"WAIT!" The voice from before exclaimed bringing those same chills back "Did you just say...Courage?..." It asked.

Before either Shirley or Courage could say/do anything the door of the cart slowly opened and an all too familiar figure began to creep out from within. Dressed in the attire that gave him nightmares for weeks on end complete with that same horrifying smile was none other than the one person Courage feared more than any in all of Nowhere...Freaky Fred.

"OH! what a WONDROUS surprise this is!" He exclaimed as he clasped his hands together "Here i am attempting to make contact with dear aunt Muriel and who should i find right outside? why the precious pup Courage!" He added excitement and joy laced in each word.

Of course though as you could imagine dear reader upon seeing possibly the most unnerving son of a gun he's encountered Courage simply froze in place...well not exactly froze he was shaking like a rattlesnake's tail but you get what i mean. Anyways as Courage could do nothing but groan in anguish as Fred made his way closer with slow careful steps the situation only became worse as he began to speak in RHYMES!

"Oh the joy that courses through my soul~" He began as he drew closer "For what was once my heart was now a hole~" He continued getting closer "At the thought of being all alone~" He continued almost upon Courage "But now i have someone for whom i will show~" He continued now right in front of Courage "That even with control i cannot help~" He paused as he reached into his jacket "Being...Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuughty~" He finished before extracting his razor from the jacket's inner pocket.

Uh huh...yup...ladies and gentlemen it has just been confirmed by Houston we have lift off.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Courage screamed before bolting back from whence he came.

"Oh my~" Fred mused as he tucked away his razor "It seems the precious pup is headed back to the farmhouse~" He said with a chuckle "Thank you for your time madam Shirley."' He spoke before taking a ten dollar bill from his pocket and handing it out to her "And please by all means keep the change." He added.

Slowly but surely taking the bill from his hand Shirley then watched as Fred followed after Courage but instead of running or sprinting after him he simply went with a leisurely stroll which not only didn't set well with her but something else coming from the same direction in which he was headed that unnerved her as well.

"Something is definitely not right..." She said as she tucked the money away into her cloak "I must check for myself..." She decided before going back into her cart and closing the window.

* * *

"Oh i hope he's alright..." Bunny spoke worried as she paced back and forth.

"Yall REALLY need to stop scarin that dog." Cajun commented as he chopped up some fish with his cleaver "I mean yesterday he nearly got ran over by a car because of Weremole and Queenie and now thanks to Weremole yet AGAIN he's taken off to who knows where." He added before returning all of his focus to the fish.

"I would not worry about ze little doggie." Le Quack stated as he put a hand to his beak "If anything all zhis running is very healthy no? get's ze blood pumping and ze muscles toned." He explained.

"That only works if he's got something to BURN." Queenie replied with an eye roll "But as of the moment if he keeps up all this running he's going to be nothing but bones..." She added the thought of coming across Courage's bones ironically enough being very displeasing to her.

"Ah don't yall worry." Cajun said as he patted the top of a large pot "The moment that dog shows up again we're gonna sit'em down and feed him my good ol' fashioned gumbo which is sure to get him in tip top shape!" He assured.

And as usual whether it be due to an actual guardian angel or just godly writer powers (*wink wink*) the moment Cajun said that Courage came bolting into the house.

"Courage you're back!" Bunny exclaimed relieved to see he was alright.

However she wouldn't get a response from him for the second he had entered the house he began running through it several times and coming back each time he brought with him a different object to barricade the door with the size of the object increasing each time.

"HEY HEY HEY!" The object he was currently holding suddenly shouted.

"Huh?" He sounded looking up to which he saw Big Toe in his grasp.

"Where's the fire dog see? and why are you takin us to it see?" Big Toe asked getting a collective "Yeah!" from the other toes.

Surprised that he not only grabbed Big Toe by accident but also was able to somehow lift him Courage set him down carefully on the ground before explaining.

"NDSKFJQWKJFBQJBFQ KJQEWFJKQWKJBFKJQWB LEWFQJEKQBFKBKLEQ!" He shouted in his usual panicked gibberish whilst also changing shape to give a visual aid of what he was trying to say.

 **(Note: if there ARE actual words that are the gibberish he speaks than i apologize for this butchery but even so i tried my best to slowly sound out the gibberish to MAYBE give it some proper spelling to which i just couldn't so yeah sorry bout that.)**

"What is it boy Timmy stuck in the well?" Cajun asked before bursting out in a fit of laughter to which everyone glared at him with their hands on their hips "...Geez no sense of humor..." He muttered as his laughing was brought to an abrupt end.

"I'm afraid we don't understand you dear boy." Katz stated as he held out a cup of tea "Perhaps a sip of this will calm you down a bit hm?" He suggested.

Sadly though before Courage could even try the tea a sudden knocking at the door caused him to yelp in shock before diving under the table.

"Now who could that be?" Katz wondered as he set down the cup and left his seat to investigate.

Also curious as to whom would be at the door the other villains with Kitty and Bunny in tow followed Katz to the front door completely ignoring the fact that Courage seemed to hide at this sudden occurrence. However as Katz reached the door and opened it everyone inside much like how Courage reacted felt themselves freeze as the sight of Freaky Fred filled their vision.

"Hello there~" He mused giving a slight wave as he did "I don't mean to interrupt any sort of activities you might've been engaged in but i was hoping if i might be able to see my precious pup?" He asked until a sudden bit of motion caught his eye.

Looking a bit past the group Fred saw that Courage was trying to sneak away via the backdoor and this is something he could not allow.

"Oh Courage~" He called causing Courage to freeze like the others "I think you and i have some unfinished business~" He mused before reaching into his jacket.

"LOOK OUT THE GUY'S PACKIN!" Big Toe shouted.

"Wait...what?" Fred asked with his smile still present as without warning everyone tackled him to the ground.

Watching the mass of bodies begin to struggle and squirm Courage nearly jumped to the ceiling as there was a sudden tap of his shoulder.

"Come it'll be safer with me." Shirley stated before walking out the back door.

Unsure as to how or even when Shirley got behind him Courage taking one last look at the chaos ensuing within the living room quickly decided she was by FAR his best choice and definitely the safest so of course he followed her to her cart. Upon entering said cart Courage took a seat at her table whilst she of course took the seat opposite from him.

"So." She began intertwining her fingers as she did "It seems things have changed greatly since we last saw one another." She commented.

"You got that right." He replied slumping in his seat a bit.

"Tell me where is Muriel and the stupid one?" She asked unsure as to how the farmer couple could be okay with what was happening.

"I dunno i'm pretty sure they've kidnapped them but i don't know where they're keeping them..." He answered looking down sadly as he did.

However before he could get too lost in his own emotions and worries about Muriel he felt his paw suddenly be taken by Shirley's causing him to look at her.

"Do not worry then i will help you find them." She said causing his face to light up.

"You mean it?!" He asked a little surprised by the gesture.

"But of course you have helped me as much as i have helped you it is only fair that i help you...free of charge." She explained looking away slightly with that last part.

"Ooooooooooh thank you!" He exclaimed before pulling her into a big bear hug.

Caught off guard by the sudden action Shirley felt an uncontrollable blush come to her face also due to the unexpectedness of this just remained somewhat limp as he hugged her. And so as Courage hugged the subtly blushing Shirley and Fred is stuck underneath a mass of bodies the formerly quiet and peaceful farmhouse has just officially lost all hope of EVER regaining said peace and quiet.

 **Alright alright alright alriiiiiiiight and THAT ladies and gentlemen is IT! no no no no NOT the end of it all unbunch those knickers i mean that is basically the wrap for the main cast we will be seeing throughout most of these chapters as well as just the overall coverage of what is going on...generally speaking of course...ANYWAYS so there's no doubt a few QUESTIONS everyone might have in mind so let me just get those answered before we wrap up.**

 **1\. Yes if i had to say what my headcanon for this show was given i've never even considered to make one for this show before it would have to be CourageXShirley mainly because EVEN AS A LITTLE KID I WAS LIKE huh...she's like...the only other dog whose almost EXACTLY like courage...they must be friends or somethin...but anyways this doesn't mean this story is gonna turn into a heavy romance thing but OBVIOUSLY expect there to be some exploitation of such for comedic purposes.**

 **2\. Yes Shirley IS aware of Muriel and Eustace being dead hell Fred had gone to see her in hopes of contacting Muriel but with her being the super awesome amazing badass medium she is she can tell that something (besides EVERYTHING) is wrong with Courage so she just went along with the notion she as well has no idea where they are so she can figure out what's going on for herself**

 **3\. You might not be wondering this because i figured it was kinda self explanatory but as to how all the villains were suddenly up and about is because well ya know Courage DID run down the stairs screaming bloody murder and what not.**

 **4\. although i dunno if it was made clear or not yet i guess it should be made clear as of now so there isn't any questioning about it in the future but basically Kitty and Bunny see themselves especially as time goes on kinda like mother figures to Courage same goes for Queenie so expect there to be some funny stuff coming from that as well as something i have planned for the Weremole but hey gotta keep some secrets am i right?**

 **Anyways i think that's all the major things that needed to be clarified so now that THAT'S out of the way until next time you beautiful sexy peoples PEACE!**


	5. The Man In Gauze Part 1!

"I tells you that i saws a FLYING SAUCER!" A crazy eyed hillbilly exclaimed on the news before the channel was quickly changed.

After the immense amount of insanity over the past few days it was almost a near implausible situation where everyone the farmhouse now held as residents would find themselves peacefully sitting around the living room watching television. However with that being said given the colorful cast of crazies we in fact DO have there were a bit of shall we say complications leading up to this peacefulness. The first of many was in regards to seats now Big Toe and Weremole didn't really care where they sat so that was no issue but then there were two standoffs over who would get both the arm chair and the rocking chair. Of course though as you could imagine given that the rocking chair was one of Courage's most favorite things within the house he wanted to also sit within it so the first standoff occurred between Queenie, Bunny, and Kitty where the two lovebirds were trying to prove that either of them would be MUCH better suited to hold Courage whilst rocking him.

Thankfully though unlike the second standoff which will be covered in a moment the ladies did come to an agreement where they would take turns who got the first turn was decided via a game of rock, paper, and scissors where Queenie managed to beat both of them not only once but TWICE after they claimed the first two victories of hers were due to cheating of some kind. The second standoff however was the result of Katz, Le Quack, and Cajun all wanting the chair and as you can imagine the moment one teeny tiny little insult slipped from one of them they began to have an all out brawl for the seat. However unlike the ladies before they could reach a civilized compromise the clearing of a throat was heard and when they looked upon the chair they were met with the sight of Fred smiling at them whilst giving them a little wave. Now normally these three villains would not have hesitated to involve someone who had just done something as sneaky as that in their brawl however this was FRED and after having just spent one day with him EVERYONE came to know him by the name Courage had given him and thus that was that.

And so with the chairs now having been taken and Courage reluctantly laying within Queenie's lap Kitty, Bunny, and Katz all took their seats upon the conveniently disappearing/reappearing couch forcing Le Quack and Cajun to join Big Toe and Weremole on the floor. But wait what about Shirley? well you see after the chaos from last chap had ended for the time being and Shirley introduced herself to everyone along with Fred she then decided with the consent of Katz and the others of course to move Muriel and Eustace to a better place not only more suitable for their graves but also to ensure Courage wouldn't come across them. Plus being able to use the barn finally for space and what not was an added bonus.

"I swear the garbage they allow on television nowadays..." Katz muttered as he began to flip through channels "Is there truly NOTHING good on at the moment?" He asked.

"Maybe there's a movie on that we could watch preferably not a scary one for obvious reasons." Queenie suggested as she petted Courage who after a good amount of said petting seemed to be far more comfortable and began to relax.

"Yeah a movie ain't a half bad idea if we find a good one i can make us some snacks!" Cajun exclaimed agreeing with her notion.

"Well we'll see what we can find i suppose." Katz replied continuing to just pass through channels one by one.

Suddenly though as everyone kept a look out for a good movie the channel they had just arrived on suddenly changed now showing the Nowhere Newsman.

"We interrupt this program to bring you a breaking news report!" He exclaimed before continuing "It seems as though that the slab belonging to the ancient Egyptian pharaoh King Ramsey has been stolen from the institute of the pharaoh!" He informed to which Courage's eyes shot wide open.

"Ohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohnoohno!" He rapidly spoke gaining everyone's attentions.

"What's wrong Courage?" Queenie being the first to ask since he was in her lap "You look as though you've just seen a ghost!" She added as his purplish color began to go white.

"Do you know something about zis?" Le Quack interjected earning a nod in response.

"Well what is it dog what do you know see?" Big Toe asked earning a collective "Yeah!" from the other toes.

Trying his best to find a way to tell them about it Courage before he could speak was unfortunately kept quiet as the Nowhere Newsman spoke once more.

"Thanks to security footage caught by the cameras authorities have determined that the criminals behind this dastardly caper were headed towards Nowhere!" He exclaimed causing Courage to pull on his ears out of fear "If anyone has any information regarding the slab or the criminals who have the slab please contact the Nowhere police department!" He urged "That is all." He added before the tv returned to the previous program.

"You really shouldn't pull on on your ears Courage." Bunny said as she looked on with worry "You could damage them if you're not careful." She added.

"Bunny's right Courage." Kitty agreed "Instead of pulling on your ears just take a deep breath and calmly tell us why this has you so scared." She suggested.

Deciding that her advice was better than what he was currently doing Courage took in a deep breath of air before slowly releasing it his nerves although still very jumpy were a bit calmer now.

"O-okay..." He began before looking to them all "W-well there was this one t-time that the slab had been stolen before this one a-and the people who stole it had hidden it on the f-farm and when night time came around K-King Ramsey the pharaoh showed up..." He explained.

"You mean you ACTUALLY went up against a mummy?!" Cajun questioned both amazed AND astonished.

"Y-yeah he was real scary too he looked really weird a-and moved weird too plus he had this HORRIBLE song that was like nails on a chalkboard!" Courage responded horrible memories coming back to him.

"How did you defeat him then?" Fred asked curious as to how his precious pup could have bested a mummy.

"W-Well the farmer wanted to keep the slab after i showed it to him b-but he wanted it back so after he brought a swarm of locusts to the farmhouse i managed to get it away from him and give it back." Courage explained.

"Of course that was the issue." Katz stated with an eye roll "It doesn't surprise me that the farmer's greed once again caused issues." He added thinking back on the stories the eggplants told them.

"Y-yeah b-b-b-but now the slab's gone again a-and if the crooks are out there in Nowhere somewhere then he might show up here again!" Courage exclaimed the thought of such an event causing him to shake.

"Oh Courage don't you worry." Queenie spoke as she picked him up in her arms "The chances of that slab finding it's way here to this place again are slim to none and besides even IF it did somehow end up here we would all be here to ensure your safety." She assured giving him a comforting smile as she did.

"Yeah she's right BESIDES if the whole big deal with that slab is the dude just wants it back all we'd have to do to fix everything would be to give it to him so easy fix!" Cajun chimed in.

Feeling as though they were right Courage although still a bit on edge at this sudden development began to relax once more as they all soon returned to their movie search.

* * *

"There that should do it." Shirley stated as she looked at her handiwork.

Even with her size being on the small side Shirley was no stranger when it came to doing big work such as moving two dead people from one place to the other. Of course though the tricky thing about it wasn't moving them from one spot to the other it was FINDING another spot that would be suitable that was tricky. But thankfully even though they were in the middle of Nowhere Shirley found a surprisingly pleasant place to rebury the two it wasn't exactly like an actual cemetery but there were a few random wildflowers sprouting up from the dirty landscape and it was only about a ten minute walk give or take from the farmhouse so it was perfect. And so as she dusted off her paws and put the far too big for her shovel over her shoulder with surprising ease she began to walk back towards the farmhouse. However as she made her way towards the abode she began to get an eerie feeling within her it wasn't so prominent that she would suspect a spirit or worse was lurking about but as she drew closer and closer to the farmhouse it continued to grow in strength.

 _"What is this?..."_ She thought to herself as she continued to walk _"I've never felt an energy like this before..."_ She added as she tried her best to compare this unusual new feeling to something she WAS familiar with.

But sadly nothing came to mind and as Shirley finally reached the farmhouse and stowed her shovel back into her cart she made her way inside the farmhouse where the feeling was the strongest.

 _"This is not good..."_ She noted as she went into the living room to see if anything had happened yet.

Much to her surprise though nothing did seem to happen other than the unusual appearance of several different foods and snacks as well as beverages to down them with everyone seemed to be present and well.

"There you are Shirley!" Courage exclaimed as he noticed her come in "Where've you been?" He asked.

"I decided to go on a walk after all a medium's mind is always busy and it needs it's moments of peace." She answered.

"Oh okay." Courage replied before gesturing to the room "Wanna watch a movie with us?" He asked with a smile.

Through both his smile and his personal invitation to her Shirley did her best to ensure she herself showed nothing more than a subtle smile of appreciation for the gesture before giving a nod in confirmation. Walking over to the also amazing disappearing/reappearing table that seemed to coincide with the couch Shirley took a small bowl of popcorn with matching soda size before sitting down on the rug. However as she began to relax even with the previously mentioned strange feeling still bothering her she began to take notice that there was indeed something off.

"Where is the foot and duck?" She asked looking towards Courage with a raised brow.

"They said they were going to the kitchen to get more stuff which i dunno why they would considering we got a WHOLE buffet right here courtesy of yours truly." Cajun answered for Courage taking a handful of popcorn and shoving it into his mouth as he did "But that was like five minutes ago or somethin so i dunno." He added with a shrug though it being a bit muffled due to his mouth being full.

Upon hearing this Shirley using both simple deduction and her medium instincts knew that those two had to be related to the strange feeling she was getting especially since she just came in from the backdoor and neither Le Quack nor Big Toe were in the kitchen or dining room.

"I will go see if they need any help." She excused before leaving the room setting down her soda and popcorn as she did.

Looking around the dining room Shirley saw that there was only one other place those two could be if they did indeed come through here which was of course the basement. Moving over towards the door before she even reached it fully she could hear muffled shouting as well as the moving of objects. Deciding that it would be better to just listen in on them than to sneak down she placed one of her pointed ears to the door to listen which thanks to her being a dog allowed her to hear everything clearly.

"What're we gonna do what're we gonna do!" The pinkie toe shouted as it panicked.

"QUIET SEE!" Big Toe shouted as he popped the other toes so that pinkie would get hit "There ain't no use to gettin hysterical we have to keep calm and cool about this see?" He said getting a nod from the toe.

"We are in quite a predicament no?" Le Quack asked "If we do not do something soon we could bring forth zat mummy ze little doggie was telling us about if we haven't already zat is." He stated.

"Look all we have to do is give the thing back right? so we just wait for the mummy guy to show up see then we hand it over to him all peaceful like and no one's any the wiser see?" Big Toe suggested earning a collective "Yeah!' from the other toes.

"I suppose zat is the best course of action." Le Quack agreed with a sigh "It is a shame zo for ignoring all ze work that went into ze heist this would have made us a pretty penny ho ho ho!" He added with a laugh.

"Yeah it is a shame we're comin out empty handed...unless..." Big Toe began earning the curiosity of his partner.

"What did you have in mind monsiuer?" Le Quack asked.

"Well lookie here see that tablet don't look too fancy see so what if we just made a duplicate of it real quick and gave it to the mummy instead? he get's his tablet so to speak whilst we get the dough see?" Big Toe suggested.

"I like ze way you think." Le Quack said with a laugh before the sound of something dropping was heard followed by the sounds of tools being shuffled "I know i have a drill or something in here somewhere..." He muttered as he continued to search through his bag.

Although of course she wasn't a hundred percent sure on the details regarding this mummy and tablet that they were referring to the mention of Courage by Le Quack obviously meant that he has dealt with this before and if that's the case than it by no means forebodes good things.

"I better go tell everyone." Shirley decided before walking away from the door.

However before she could even get two steps away from the door the power suddenly went out causing Courage to scream from the next room. Alarmed by the sudden event Shirley hurried into the living room to tell everyone what she had learned only to make a terrifying discovery. It wasn't the power going out that had not only scared Courage but the everyone else for that matter. But instead as she stood in the doorway leading from the dining room to the living room she along with everyone else looked out the windows of the farmhouse to see in the distance a horrifying figure.

 ** _"Retuuuuuurn the slaaaaaaaab..."_** The figure moaned out as it swayed back and forth _**"Or suffer my cuuuuuurse..."**_ It added as it slowly pointed towards them.

 **DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!...oh COME ON you KNEW i was going to do it possibly the most remembered thing about this show is this son of a bitch right here who is the cause of endless childhoods being ruined but anyways until next time PEACE!**


	6. The Man In Gauze Part 2!

You know you'd think after not only learning more about Courage but also their own past experiences with him and what not that the collective of individuals who are now his caretakers would be used to unusual, strange, and just in general scary things to the point where it doesn't get to them anymore. However even if you were a hardened serial killer with the most stoic expression and personality you too would be unable to keep from being stone cold frozen at the sight of a resurrected pharaoh who at this very moment was speaking to you in the most unnerving way.

 _ **"Retuuuuuuuurn the slaaaaaaaaab..."**_ King Ramsey began to repeat as he moved his arms about _**"Or suffer my cuuuuuuuurse..."**_ He added.

Of course though after having heard that same chilling statement twice Courage was the first to break the silence that had overtaken them with a scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed before bolting from Queenie's lap and up the stairs.

Sadly though even with him seeming to have broken free of his frozen state the others were not for they were trying their absolute best to make sense of the situation.

"H-How is this even possible?..." Katz asked wide eyed unable to break his gaze from the figure "W-We don't even have the slab..." He added.

It was from that statement that Shirley became the second to break free from the frozen state as she quickly shook her head to regain herself before moving her gaze from Ramsey to the others.

"I'm afraid you are wrong Katz we in fact DO have the slab well two of us anyway." She corrected that seeming to be enough to break everyone else free of their frozen states as well.

"Wait what do you mean two of us which two?!" Cajun asked as the thought of two of their group would do something so stupid angered him.

Unfortunately for Cajun though he wouldn't get his answer for just as Shirley opened her mouth to reveal the culprits a sudden droplet of water came down from above and hit her on the nose. Confused by this Shirley slowly looked up only in time to see a small puddle in the ceiling suddenly explode as a giant torrent of water rushed down beginning to flood the living room.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" All of them screamed as more sudden explosions of water began happening from around the room.

Within mere seconds of this occurring the TV, the painting on the wall, the moose head, and even somehow the very furniture they sat upon began spewing immense amounts of water into the room causing it to already reach most of their hips.

"WHAT DO WE DO WHAT DO WE DO?!" Bunny asked hysterically as she, Kitty, and Katz all stood atop of the couch trying to avoid the rising waters as much as possible.

"Don't worry i'll see if i can't find the source!" Queenie proclaimed before disappearing into the water.

"Oh that's just absolutely WONDERFUL at least ONE of us will be able to survive this!" Katz exclaimed as the water continued to rise.

"WAIT I HAVE AN IDEA!" Cajun shouted as he waded towards the front door in hopes of using it as a drain of sorts.

But of course the moment Cajun reached the door and flung it open a still wall of water which had apparently been waiting for the door to be open suddenly flooded in drastically raising the water's level to their shoulders.

"OH GOOD IDEA YOU IMBECILE!" Katz shouted as they now had to kick their legs in order to stay above the water.

"HOW IN THE WORLD WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT THERE'D BE SOME RANDOM OCEAN OUTSIDE THE HOUSE ALL OF A SUDDEN?!" Cajun asked.

Meanwhile as these two began to go at it Weremole who had a great idea from the get go was doing their best to tunnel into the ground to drain out the water but since the supply seemed limitless it wasn't sure what to do other than keep digging to avoid it at this point. Furthermore whilst Weremole worked with their own idea Shirley who did in fact have the answer to why this was all happening to begin with had rushed to the dining room when the flooding began and even now as she held her breath underwater she tried to force open the locked door to get the tablet from Le Quack and Big Toe which of course wasn't going too well. All the while even though he was weary of what was happening Fred miraculously kept his smile as the water soon reached their chins not allowing his fear of the situation to show by any means. But wait what about Courage?...

* * *

"WHAT DO I DO WHAT DO I DO?!" Courage frantically typed as the water began to slowly reach the attic.

"Why are you asking me you twit? I don't know how to deal with a mummy." Computer replied just as the water started seeping through the attic's door "But if you wouldn't mind dealing with it rather quickly so i won't get damaged that'd be appreciated." He added.

Thinking long and hard as to what he could possibly do to stop this Courage in his moment of panic thought back to what he did the first time this happened and of course the solution became clear.

"THE DRAIN!" He shouted before running over to the attic's door.

"WAIT DON'T OPEN THAT!" Computer tried to warn.

But alas his words didn't reach Courage for as the other in question was far too focused on his objective he failed to recall what was awaiting on the other side of that door and so upon opening it a geyser of water shot up into the room. Seeing this Courage couldn't help but face palm at his carelessness but knowing very well he couldn't dwell on it for too long he took in a deep breath and dived right in.

"HURRY!" Computer shouted after him as the attic began to fill.

Swimming as fast as he could through the water Courage swiftly making his way down the stairs, past the others, and into the dining room saw upon arrival Shirley and her struggle with getting the door open. Knowing very well that if the door wasn't opening then there was no point in trying even though he wanted to help Shirley he swam out of the dining room, into the kitchen, and then outside where he made his way to the cellar doors. Without wasting anymore time he grabbed hold of the cellar doors' handles before flinging them open allowing him to swim inside. Looking around as he entered the room he didn't notice Le Quack and Big Toe both of which had scuba gear on somehow who appeared to be off in a corner of the room doing something with their backs turned as he was far too focused on the task at hand.

 _"THERE!"_ He thought as he laid his eyes upon the drain's plug.

Swimming over to it he immediately grabbed onto it's chain and begin to pull with all his might trying his best to free it from the drain. Sadly though after several seconds of pulling the plug's chain broke sending him away from the plug due to the amount of power behind his pull. Shocked and confused as to how this could happen he looked at the now separate chain in his paw only to realize that it had been completely rusted over making it weak and feeble.

 ** _"Not this time..."_ ** King Ramsey remarked from above taking precautions to avoid his defeat this time around.

Taking a brief moment to scream in horror Courage then went straight back to the plug resuming in his efforts to free it from the drain but alas to no avail. Soon enough through the combination of time and his previous scream he began to run out of air and it seemed as though he would soon blackout within the water. But suddenly without warning something out of the corner of his eye dashed towards him but instead of attacking him it latched onto the plug and in one quick motion pulled it free from the drain. And of course as you can imagine upon doing this the entirety of the farm as well as most of Nowhere began to drain rapidly allowing everyone to resume breathing.

 ** _"Oh COME on..."_ ** King Ramsey groaned as his curse for the second time in a row had been bested by the likes of a dog.

However as the last bit of water hurried down the drain Courage who now laid gasping and tired on the floor began to think as to what just saved him and the others. Whether or not though you'd call this next part lucky or not he did in fact get his answer as in the blurriness of his vision he saw a familiar violet haired woman stand over him.

"Courage are you alright?!" Queenie asked as she reached down to pick him up placing him in her arms as she did.

Now i bet you're thinking "Wait how could this not be lucky on his part?" weeeeeeeeeeell the thing is in order to pull that plug free from the drain Queenie here had to go shall we say all the way meaning that she no longer looked like her normal self but instead the massive sharp toothed self she becomes when attacking people. So you can understand now as Courage was brought MUCH closer to her face that he was able to make it out more clearly which upon doing so caused his eyes to widen followed by...yup you guessed it.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He screamed his fur seeming to dry instantly as it stood on end from the sight before him.

"Oh sorry!" She exclaimed before reverting back to her regular self.

Still a bit on edge from both nearly drowning and...well YA KNOW Courage reduced his panic to a light shake but did not escape from her grasp for although she was half the reason for his current fear she was checking to see if he was okay and he of course appreciated that. However before either of the two could begin to enjoy their well deserved moment of peace Shirley finally was able to open the basement door...given it WAS by bashing it open with one of the dining room chairs but still mission accomplished.

"Shirley are you okay?" Courage asked as she walked down the stairs soaking wet.

"Yes i am fine." She replied as she began to wring out her ears "However those two will NOT be fine once i am done with them." She added whilst pointing.

Following her finger's direction Queenie and Courage were shocked to see Big Toe and Le Quack whom by now were out of their scuba gear seemed to not be aware of their presence somehow whilst working on something hidden by their bodies. Unsure as to why they were here in the first place Queenie with Courage still in arm slowly approached them before placing a free hand onto Le Quack's shoulder which in turn caused him to jump.

"SACRE' BLEU DO NOT KILL ME MONSIEUR MUMMY!" He shouted as he threw his wings into the air which caused both Courage and Queenie's eyes to widen.

Right there grasped within Le Quack's hands was none other than King Ramsey's slab revealing to them both that he and Big Toe were the criminals from the news.

"You...have got...to...be...KIDDING ME!" Queenie shouted as anger coursed through her body "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!" She questioned throwing her free hand in the air.

"YEAH!" Courage joined in crossing his arms whilst shooting them a glare.

Slowly turning around to face them Le Quack and Big Toe both gave nervous chuckles whilst doing their best to avoid eye contact.

"Well you see..." Big Toe began looking towards the floor as he did "W-We didn't know this thing was cursed see? we just thought it was somethin to get rich off of ya know? so we made the plans, did the caper, and there ya go easy money see?" He said as the other toes just remained silent under Queenie's burning gaze.

"Ooooooooh i see uh huh that makes it aaaaaaaaall better." She stated with a heavy dose of sarcasm "Then tell me you two how come when Courage told us AFTER the news broadcast that the thing was cursed and what would happen YOU TWO IDIOTS DIDN'T GIVE IT BACK RIGHT AWAY AND NEARLY DROWNED EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE?!" She asked her normal pink eyes seeming to become more crimson with each word spoken.

"W-Well we were going to but zhen we thought what if we gave ze mummy a fake tablet to fool him? ZAT way we could keep ze real thing and our efforts wouldn't be for nothing!" Le Quack reasoned.

Upon hearing this Queenie balled her free hand into a fist but instead of punching them she somehow managed to crack her knuckles which caused Le Quack and Big Toe's eyes (including the small toes) to widen in shock and fear.

"Courage." Queenie spoke somehow making her first even tighter "I want you to take that slab from them and go return it to the mummy whilst i show these two the error of their ways okay?" She asked without even looking to him.

Simply responding with a nod Courage then hopped down from her grasp and took the slab from the now frozen in place Le Quack before hurrying up the cellar stairs. Meanwhile as Courage made his way out of the cellar Shirley who had just watched up until now slowly walked over to stand beside Queenie a very large mallet now wielded in her hands.

"May i join you?" She asked gently hitting her free hand's palm with the mallet.

" **BE MY GUEST...** " Queenie replied as she began to transform once more.

Thankfully though as the terrified screams of both Le Quack and Big Toe began to fill the air Courage was LONG out of ear shot and even though he didn't want to do this by any means was approaching King Ramsey. Stopping a few feet away from him because...COME ON Courage not wanting this to go on for longer than it should tossed the slab to King Ramsey it landing a few inches from his...feet? Bending over but only slightly to reach it King Ramsey slowly resumed his former posture as he began to look the slab over.

"Great everything's good now so you can leave!" Courage exclaimed hastily wanting nothing more than for this to be over.

However even though victory seemed to be just seconds away Courage's heart stopped as King Ramsey pulled back his arm and tossed the slab back at him it landing the same way it did before. Confused by what was happening Courage picked up the slab to look at where upon doing so his eyes became the size of dinner plates. Apparently for some unknown reason Le Quack and Big Toe thought it would be a good idea to write upon the fake slab WHICH is the one that Courage took mind you the words "BIG FAT SUCKER!" as big as possible. Feeling himself begin to shake out of terror Courage then looked towards King Ramsey again where he received a very horrifying shock.

In the short amount of time Courage had been looking at the slab King Ramsey had closed the distance between them and now loomed right above him. Terrified beyond belief Courage could only look on in absolute petrifying fear as the other slowly bent over until their faces were mere inches apart.

 _ **"In the words of the farmer..."**_ He spoke as he pointed to the fake slab within Courage's grasp _**"What's your offer?..."**_ He added.

And thus as Courage unable to move or do anything of the sort looked into the terrifying face of King Ramsey the sound of a locust hoard reached his ears accompanied by an even more torturous noise.

 _ **"KING RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY THE MAN IN GAUZE THE MAN IN GAUZE!"**_ The voice of his song began to sing as the skies grew much MUCH darker.

 **ooooooooooo things are getting good WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN?!...no seriously i'm asking you what's gonna happen because i certainly don't know...you don't know either?...huh...WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL ANYWAYS THEN I GUESS WE'LL JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE EXCITING CONCLUSION OF THIS SAGA SO UNTIL THEN EVERYONE PEACE!**


	7. The Man In Gauze FINALE!

A lot of emotions ran through the inhabitants of the former Bagges farm in truth a lot of them either coincided or were basically fear BUT there were some others. The first one they all felt was unbridled RAGE for in the time it took Courage to take the fake slab to King Ramsey Shirley and Queenie had dragged Big Toe and Le Quack up from the basement and brought them before everyone who might i add were still soaked. Furthermore after this rage occurred and they were all about to viciously attack the duo the sound of locusts buzzing through the air as well as that HORRID (yet amazingly catchy) song caught their ears to which they began to feel surprise and shock. Finally though as they looked out the windows and saw the massive dark horde of insects coming towards them from the horizon although fear did in fact return to them they saw something else which brought the third emotion which was worry. For before the massive horde of locusts was of course King Ramsey but below him more specifically below his gaze was Courage who was indeed holding the slab but for some reason it seemed as though things were not resolved.

Which now dear reader brings us to the current point in time within the story where as the final two curses combine together and come down upon the farmhouse our oddball cast of characters (excluding Courage of course) shift their eyes from the approaching doom back to the thieving duo.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" They all shouted causing Le Quack and Big Toe to shuffle awkwardly in place.

"W-Why whatever do you mean? if anything zis is all ze little d-doggie's fault no? he has not given ze mummy his slab back..." Le Qauck replied trying his best to avoid the blame

"Right because that makes COMPLETE AND TOTAL SENSE!" Queenie shouted as she pointed towards the window "Now you two better tell us why that mummy isn't taking his slab back or i swear i will eat you before the locusts get a chance to!" She threatened her teeth already beginning to sharpen.

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT NO NEED FOR THREATS SEE?!" Big Toe asked earning a collective "YEAH!" from the other toes.

Choosing the obvious and smart thing to do instead of telling them Le Quack and Big Toe hurried down to the basement with the others in tow. After this had been done the duo then went over to the corner they once were in and began to look around where their faces slowly became much paler.

"WELL?!" The others asked with arms crossed wanting this whole endeavor to be over with.

Taking a brief moment to look at each other before following that up with fearful gulps the duo then slowly turned around to face the others.

"It appears zat...ze slab is gone..." Le Quack informed causing their eyes to all widen.

"WHAT?!" They questioned "HOW COULD IT BE GONE?!" They added.

"I-If we were to take a guess see it probably maybe sorta could've went down that there drain..." Big Toe explained looking towards said drain as he did.

Following his gaze everyone found themselves looking towards the drain as well to which they couldn't help but stare at it.

"...GET THE SLAB!" They all shouted before dashing towards it.

And so as King Ramsey's song continued to play as well as the locust horde grew closer everyone began digging, ripping, and even attempting to blow up the drain in order to retrieve the slab all the while seeming to forget about one person in particular...

* * *

 _ **"Retuuuuuuuuuuuurn the slaaaaaaaaaaab..."**_ King Ramsey moaned directly into Courage's face.

"I-I DON'T HAVE IT!" Courage replied clinging to the fake slab for dear life.

Miraculously even though the locusts began to devour the farmhouse and everything that surrounded it they seemed to be avoiding Courage completely more than likely due to King Ramsey.

 ** _"Do not play games..."_** King Ramsey warned as he pointed towards the fake slab once more _**"This looks just like my slab so i KNOW you have it..."**_ He explained.

"B-BUT I DON'T!" Courage argued doing his best to convince the pharaoh of the truth.

 _ **"You have until the song repeats three times to give to me what is mine..."**_ King Ramsey warned before pointing to the sky _**"Otherwise you will be consumed by the locusts..."**_ He added as the swarm flew around them from above.

"I'M TELLING YOU I DON'T HAVE THE SLAB!" Courage exclaimed.

 _ **"KING RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY THE MAN IN GAUZE THE MAN IN GAUZE!"**_ The song repeated once.

 _ **"One..."**_ King Ramsey spoke holding up a finger as he did.

"I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS I SWEAR!" Courage pleaded.

 _ **"KING RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY THE MAN IN GAUZE THE MAN IN GAUZE!"**_ The song repeated twice.

 _ **"Two..."**_ King Ramsey counted holding up a second finger the locusts beginning to descend as he did.

"P-PLEASE I'LL FIND IT I WILL JUST GIVE ME SOME TIME!" Courage continued to plead desperate to live.

 _ **"KING RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY THE MAN IN GAUZE THE MAN IN GAUZE!"**_ The song repeated thrice.

 _ **"Three..."**_ King Ramsey counted holding up a third and final finger causing the Locusts to suddenly speed towards the ground.

As Courage looked towards the black mass of death coming towards him he let loose one final scream waiting to be consumed. That is until without warning Weremole popped up from the ground besides King Ramsey and took him into it's mouth before beginning to thrash him about violently.

 _ **"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOA!"**_ King Ramsey moaned until Weremole suddenly opened it's mouth causing him to fly out.

Watching on from the side in amazement Courage couldn't believe that Weremole was able to do such a thing so casually not only that but thanks to their interference the locusts along with the music had vanished. However as the currently recuperating King Ramsey slowly began to get to his...feet? he and Courage both received even more of a surprise as the REAL slab suddenly slid to his...feet...

"RAWR!" Weremole sounded as it pointed to the slab.

Slowly taking the object into his hands King Ramsey looked it over to ensure it was real to which it was. And thus without speaking a word the moment he confirmed it was indeed the real thing King Ramsey vanished the same way as his curses did leaving behind a bewildered Courage and a content Weremole.

"Hmph!" Weremole grunted as it got out of it's hole to kick some dirt where King Ramsey had once been before walking over to Courage.

"Y-You saved me..." He acknowledged still a bit stunned about the reality of the situation.

Simply replying with a nod Weremole then held out it's hand offering to help Courage to his feet. Smiling at this gesture Courage gladly grabbed onto the other's hand before said other pulled him to his feet where after he regained his balance Courage dusted himself off. And so ladies and gentlemen as Courage with a happy weremole in tow headed back to the semi consumed farmhouse (mainly the roof and then some) to check on the others he, Weremole, and the just mentioned others felt happy that they were now free of King Ramsey's curse...FOR NOW!

 **Aaaaaaaaaaaand there you has it ladies and gents the conclusion TO this saga now there will be an aftermath chapter of course but yup i thought this wrapped up quite nicely SO until next time PEACE!**


	8. The Man In Gauze Aftermath!

"C-Come on guys...it's sc-scorching up here see?...can't we come down for just a little bit?..." Big Toe asked earning a collective "Yeah..." from the other toes as they all looked towards the others.

After everyone had passed out from exhaustion due to their frantic attempts at ripping the drain out from the basement to get the slab (See Misfits In The Middle Of Nowhere Issue #7) all the while Courage and Weremole slept comfortably in the bed upstairs morning soon came where once everyone was awake they agreed that the ones who should fix EVERYTHING that was damaged during the curse should be none other than those who caused it in the first place. However as if the universe wished to punish them even more the moment they began their work starting with the farmhouse's attic the temperature sky rocketed to the point where very thin and small pieces of metal began to melt from the heat. Thankfully though the others were quickly atop of it for if there was one good thing that came from this whole mess was that during Weremole's attempt to escape the flooding waters they had managed to reroute it to the cavern that rested just beneath the water pump. And so with this extra water the others decided to beat the heat by having Weremole dig themselves a temporary pool mainly because the water pump was lost to the locusts feeding frenzy and so Le Quack and Big Toe would have to build a new one anyways along with refilling the temporary pool up with dirt again once they were done.

"Huh how strange..." Katz spoke as he pulled his sunglasses down from his eyes by a slight bit "It sounds as though there are some pests flying about...but i don't see any...do you Cajun?" He asked looking towards the other as he did.

"Nope not a pest in sight!" Cajun replied as he stretched in his inner tube "The only thing i see is a nice sunny day, a brand spankin new pool, and of course a BEAUTIFUL lookin glass of ice tea with my name on it!" He added before taking a sip of his beverage.

"That's what i thought." Katz admitted as he placed his glasses back over his eyes "But just in case there are some pests flying about it would be in their best interest to keep to themselves that is of course if they wish to stay LIVING pests and not dead ones." He stated popping out one of his claws as he did.

Not even daring to say another word Big Toe and Le Quack returned to their work with new found haste all the while Computer watched them from his corner of the roof.

"Make sure the sun roof is fully accessible by me." He ordered before making an arrow pointing upwards appear on his screen "And fix my umbrella would you? i don't wish to be without my shade during this dreadful heat wave." He added as said umbrella slowly began to tilt to the left.

"Do you think it was wise to make him their boss for the day?" Kitty asked as she rested her arms on the poolside looking towards her brother as he did "I mean i'm in full agreement that they deserve little to no mercy for what they did but still we've only been here a short while and we ALL know...oh how should i put this?...antagonizing he can be." She explained the reason behind her inquiry.

"Kitty if there is one thing i know FAR more about than you it's torture." Katz replied as he reset himself in his beach chair "And trust me when i say that in all my years of seeing people in indescribable agony as well as hearing the symphonies of screams that accompany those displays i have not once come across something as unbearable as that sarcastic smart remarking piece of junk making him the absolute best form of punishment." He assured "I mean even Courage didn't object to it." He added to prove his point even more so.

"...Wait...where is Courage?" She asked looking around to see if she could spot him.

"Last time i saw him he and Weremole were out behind the house." Cajun answered as he took another sip of his drink "In fact if i'm rememberin' correctly they went back there with some gardenin' supplies..." He added tilting his head backwards in some weird attempt to better his memory.

"Huh wonder why?..." She questioned unsure as to what they were planning.

* * *

Whilst the others were busy lounging about in the new pool excluding of course the two thieving hoodlums THAT'S RIGHT I SAID HOODLUMS who were busy fixing the attic Courage and Weremole found themselves passing the time in a much different way.

"Aaaaaaand done!" Courage exclaimed as he placed his hands on his hips "What do ya think enough carrot seeds?" He asked looking towards Weremole as he did.

"Rawr." Weremole simply replied accompanied by a nod of their head.

Besides the structural damage to the farmhouse and any nearby objects another loss in the locust feeding frenzy was the garden that Courage and Muriel had cultivated over the years. Due to this instead of going for a swim or even just lounging about in a chair with some ice tea Courage accompanied by Weremole headed towards the farmhouse's...backyard? to start a new garden. However due to the sudden scorching heat the duo did of course have to find some way to beat the heat whilst they worked which thankfully wasn't really that hard. A few gardening hats complete with straw and ribbons, some pitchers of lemonade, a portable battery powered fan, and voila even with the combination of their fur and the heat they found themselves relaxing in utter cool bliss as they made rows upon rows for planting seeds.

"Ya know you're not so bad." Courage admitted as he poured a glass of lemonade "I mean you're still kinda scary especially with your big teeth but you're not AS scary anymore." He added before handing the glass over to Weremole.

Responding only with a simple smile Weremole happily took the the glass from Courage before wrapping it's lips around the straw that protruded from within. And so ladies and gentlemen as a new friendship not only seemed to form on this day but also quickly blossom Courage, Weremole, Computer, and the others all sat back and enjoyed this nice peaceful release of the anxiety filled nightmare that was the previous night...except for Big Toe and Le Quack of course.


	9. Chats and Chickens!

Ah chess a game designed for the sharpened mind where one's intellect, strategic formulation, and overall cunning are brought before another individual or possibly a small crowd of individuals to determine just how noteworthy it is by placing it against another individual's shall we say wit. However chess although a very lovely game as well as a great way to pass the time can also set the path for a superiority complex especially if you are surrounded by those who do not even match your skill level. Such is the case for Katz who although does have his own sister Kitty and his..."friend" Le Quack both of whom are quite skilled at the game they still do not come close to his level of both skill and strategic manipulation. If you do not know what i mean by "strategic manipulation" dear reader basically Katz with his piercing unwavering yellow eyed gaze can somehow make his opponents make moves they didn't wish to do in the first place.

Whether it be due to his cold and calm demeanor or the way he spoke to his opponent as they played he never seemed to be without control...that is until he met his match. For you see dear reader after having beaten everyone in the farmhouse no one wished to play with him however after his latest victory over Courage the purple furred dog suggested that he go and play with Computer since he just sat in the attic all day with nothing to do. Of course though Katz was apprehensive at first due to his past interactions with the sarcastic speaking device but after he considered his options to which he found he had none he decided to listen to Courage and challenge Computer to a match. So now ladies and gentlemen we go to the attic of the farmhouse where Computer has just bested Katz for the fifth time in the last ten minutes.

"Checkmate twit." Computer stated as Katz placed his piece due to the lack of arms he himself possessed.

Of course though Katz being the superiority complex stricken individual he is didn't even respond with an audible reply for as he held the piece a mere inch or so away from it's rightful spot on the checkerboard he seemed to be frozen in place...excluding the rapid twitching of his right eye that is.

"I. Said. Check. Mate. You. Twit." Computer spoke slowly making sure each of his words were full of his own British accented superiority.

But sadly for Computer that was the last straw to break the metaphorical camel's back for as the word twit slowly formed on his screen followed by the audible version Katz lost every bit of control he had and by doing so flung the checkerboard across the room as a result.

"My it seems as though something has gotten your fur on end." Computer remarked which in turn caused Katz to grip onto his monitor.

"YOU ARE AN UNDERHANDED CHEATER!" He roared his suave and silky voice now being replaced by one that resembled thunder.

"Oh? I didn't know it was cheating to be superior my bad." Computer mockingly apologized.

"YOU ARE A COMPUTER WHICH MEANS YOU ARE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET YOU'RE LOOKING UP MOVES AS WE PLAY THAT'S THE ONLY POSSIBLE WAY YOU'VE BESTED ME FIVE TIMES IN UNDER TEN MINUTES!" Katz accused his rage continuing to escalate as he did.

"...Look beneath me you twit." Computer instructed.

Confused as to what he hoped to accomplish by that Katz did indeed look beneath Computer's table to which his eyes widened in shock. Where he expected to find an ethernet cable connected to some form of network connection he in truth DID find an ethernet cable but it was actually connected to nothing at that particular moment.

"Even though those two twits who brought King Ramsey here in the first place did repair my attic neither of them know the first thing about dealing with cables, wires, and connections so i wouldn't let them set even a finger or toe on me." He explained as Katz looked back to him his rage seeming to have just vanished.

"So wait you've been disconnected from the internet this whole time?" Katz asked "How come you haven't said anything?" He added.

"Because usually things just MAGICALLY fix themselves...no sarcasm intended." Computer answered.

"What do you mean by magically?" Katz inquired his curiosity now peaked.

"Well...for example there was this one time that the whole farm had been destroyed by a tornado and after Courage went off to fix whatever problem he had besides the farmhouse's destruction the very next morning everything was back to normal as if the whole ordeal never even occurred." Computer explained causing the other's eyes to widen.

"How is that even possible?..." Katz asked his mind unable to comprehend what he was hearing fully.

"I don't know but what i do know is it doesn't just end with the farmhouse itself in fact there was another time where although the farmhouse hadn't been destroyed what had occurred to the old woman and her husband was quite...unusual..." Computer began before continuing "In short there was this traveling showman and after he and Courage had an excursion to which he was victorious Courage reentered the farmhouse with the farmer and his wife but they had been turned to puppets." He finished causing the other's eyes to widen even more.

"You're serious?!" Katz asked.

"Dead serious they were completely wooden but the strangest thing is that when Courage made their mouths move their voices came out i don't know how any of it was possible but what i do know is the very next morning that woman who was a puppet the night before was perfect as could be making breakfast for the both of them as if nothing had ever happened." Computer answered.

"The eggplants didn't mention anything like this..." Katz admitted causing the other to scoff in reply.

"Of course they didn't i don't know how much they truly let you on about but from where they are as well as the fact they are sentient vegetables they wouldn't be smart enough nor keen enough to detail to catch on to EVERY weird thing that happens around here." Computer explained "If anything they might've been affected by it as well but perhaps not to the same degree." He added.

"Elaborate." Katz replied simply wanting to hear more.

"Well from what i can understand things of this nature only ever happen within Nowhere people get their heads lobbed off, buildings get blown to smithereens, and so on so forth but the very next day it's as if someone somewhere pressed a reset button and everything is magically fixed with only Courage and myself having any recollection of what transpired." Computer explained.

"Why do you think that is? any theories?" Katz asked.

"To be honest i have thought on it for the longest time ever since i became aware of it really and the best i can assess the reasons for this happening are A. Courage himself is always in the thick of it and is usually always the one to solve whatever it is so logically he would remember it, B. Due to my connection to the internet or possibly me just being a computer i'm not affected by whatever is happening, and C. even though the eggplants are aware for the most part of what happens around here the fact is they're right beneath Nowhere maybe they're far enough down to where it's not as effective on them as it is for everyone else but they're still within Nowhere so it still can reach them whatever IT is." Computer listed.

Taking a moment to think of what was said Katz didn't take too long to contemplate it as a very obvious question made itself present within his thoughts.

"Then how come we can remember things? if all of this is true then shouldn't i and the others not recall things that have happened such as the ordeal with King Ramsey a few days ago?" He asked.

"No and the reason for that is you people are part of the problem." Computer answered.

"How are we a part of the problem?" Katz asked.

"Simple only RESIDENTS of Nowhere seem to be affected by this "reset" however even though you and the others are living here you aren't necessarily residents in fact you are the reasons behind a lot of these "resets" for example remember when you all last attempted to kill Courage? he screamed so loud a chasm had formed in the basement yet the very next day it's gone and no one except for you, me, Courage, the eggplants, and the others know about it." Computer answered.

"So you're saying that due to us being the reasons for Courage's complicated life we are immune?" Katz asked.

"That's one way of putting it i suppose yes." Computer confirmed.

"So that means that anyone else out there who has ever attempted to do something to Courage, the farmer, and his wife..." Katz began.

"Also recalls what they did whilst no one else within Nowhere does." Computer finished for him "But as i said for some reason the "reset" hasn't occurred, i'm still not hooked back up to the internet, and i've just been waiting for it to happen as it usually does." He added.

"Do you know why it isn't happening? or at the very least have any theories on that as well?" Katz asked.

"I haven't had much time to contemplate all of the possibilities but i suppose i have come up with one that makes sense." Computer admitted "The reason behind the "reset's" disappearance or possibly just elongated delay is because of the change in circumstance around here instead of it being just Courage, myself, and the farmer couple it's now us and the lot of you perhaps the reason the reset isn't occurring is because the problem which is usually solved at this point isn't." He explained.

"But we aren't trying to hurt Courage anymore we're taking care of him." Katz argued.

"And perhaps that in itself is the problem and not you." Computer suggested.

"What are you saying?...that we shouldn't be taking care of him?" Katz asked.

"All i'm saying is up until the recent departure of the farmer and his wife all of you were only pieces of Courage's life never a whole thing you would show up, do something, then go away only to POSSIBLY show up at a later time but now all of you are here every single moment...and perhaps that's not what's supposed to happen." Computer suggested.

"Then what do you think IS supposed to happen?" Katz asked.

"Well...i suppose for all of this to be set back on track then the logical thing to do would be for all of you to go back to the way things were with you trying to kill him." Computer answered.

"You know very well we're not going to do that." Katz stated crossing his arms as he did.

"Yes i do which means if we want things to be as they were before or at the very least bring back the "reset" we're going to need to repair the balance of things." Computer concluded.

"And what would it take to repair the "balance"? Katz asked using air quotations for the last bit.

"Simple ever since this whole ordeal took place Courage no longer seems to have any worries or troubles due to the fact that his biggest issues are now currently taking care of him." Computer began "But now that he is lacking in shall we say "villains" perhaps what he needs now is to acquire some new ones." He suggested.

"Hmm...you know...that actually makes a lot of sense...strange as that might sound." Katz admitted as he sat back in the chair "But how are we going to go about doing that?" He asked.

"I don't think we can really." Computer replied "If anything Courage just seems to naturally pull in trouble and chaos by just being himself so perhaps with enough time having passed he'll bring in some new faces." He added.

"True...that dog does seem to gravitate towards insanity." Katz agreed before placing his paws on his legs "Well this has been a very informative exchange." He admitted before standing "But sadly it must come to an end." He added before walking towards the attic's door.

"Oh? why the sudden leave don't you want to continue our game of chess?" Computer asked causing the other to stop.

"As much as i would LOVE to be bested by you some more." Katz began dishing out his own taste of sarcasm "I'm afraid i need to make a phone call our internet's out and i can't have that what if we need to look up how to dismantle a computer?" He asked before proceeding to leave the room.

And as Katz closed the door behind him whilst he left the attic Computer remained quiet before allowing a small chuckle to escape him.

"Twit." He spoke before his monitor shut off.

* * *

Ya know there's an old saying "Never regret. If it's good, it's wonderful. If it's bad, it's experience." and to be honest i happen to agree with it because what is the point of dwelling on the bad things hm? why not just enjoy the good things that occur within life and take any bad things as a lesson from which we learn? Well although i myself dear reader might agree with this saying and hold it very near and dear to me i think it is safe to say that our fair Courage isn't the same way whatsoever. If you are wondering which you no doubt are dear reader as to what i mean by that well i feel as though the only proper way to explain my meaning is to relate it to something you much like many others horrifically dread. Picture it Christmas time (or whatever you celebrate during that time of year no judge) a time for good feeling towards your fellow man, a time to celebrate your honored traditions, and of course a time to relish in blessings...aka LOADS OF GIFTS!

However every year there's that ONE present the one with the exact same wrapping paper and bow that tells you who sent it as well as what is no doubt waiting for you on the inside. You try your best to ignore it and just hide it away so no one makes you open it but alas your mom the bloodhound she is somehow SMELLS it out and makes you open it so she can take a picture of you with what you now know is definitely inside. And so against your own wants and wills you tear apart the paper, take away the bow, open up the box inside, and after reaching in and grabbing onto what lies within you pull out a HIDEOUS holiday sweater. With no other options due to your mother threatening your very existence if you don't wear it you begrudgingly put yourself into this atrocious piece of clothing to which upon completion you are bombarded by camera flashes.

But wait how does that situation relate to Courage and his current one? well it's quite simple dear reader you see as we all know there are three females within the farmhouse who see themselves as motherly figures to Courage Kitty, Bunny, and Queenie. And as one might expect the more they become used to the idea of caring for Courage as well as having their motherly affection grow due to time spent with the purple dog they in turn begin to do things they normally wouldn't have done before. One of those things being of course knitting dog sized attire for him to wear.

"Coooooooouuuuuuurage~" Queenie sang as she walked through the house holding up a blue colored sweater with green fishes swimming around it "I have a present for you~" She continued to sing.

"Oh you have GOT to be kidding me." The voice of Kitty spoke behind her causing her to stop.

Turning around to face the voice's owner Queenie felt a scowl come to her face as the sight of Kitty and Bunny holding their own sweaters came into view.

"Do you have something to say?" She asked as she crossed her arms looking over the two as she did.

"Oh no not really i mean your sweater speaks for itself." Kitty replied with a smirk causing the other's free hand to ball into a fist.

"And what is THAT supposed to mean?" Queenie asked doing her best to keep her composure.

"Oh nothing really." Kitty began as she looked at the claws on her free paw "It's just i would think if Courage wanted to look ridiculous he would just have Freaky Fred shave him is all instead of going through the trouble of wearing that abominable fashion statement." She clarified.

"Like you are SUCH an expert when it comes to fashion right? miss all natural." Queenie replied earning a chuckle in response.

"Miss all natural? really? THAT'S the best you can do? I am a cat my body is completely concealed by my beautiful fur." Kitty counter as she gestured to said fur "Unlike you where if those clothes weren't present all we would see is a slimy, disgusting, repulsive, and most of all overgrown body of a sardine with legs and hideous purple hair." She added.

"THAT'S IT!" Queenie screamed as she lunged for Kitty who in turn began to lunge at her in response.

"WAIT!" Bunny shouted as she quickly got between the two bringing them to a stop as she did "Look it's obvious that we do not get along with you more so Kitty in this particular instance." She stated before crossing her arms "But we are NOT going to solve anything by fighting if we REALLY want to prove whose sweater is better than we'll just show them to Courage and see which one he picks!" She suggested.

Taking a moment to contemplate the notion both Kitty and Queenie though still wanting to duke it out decided that Bunny WAS being the voice of reason here and was giving them a far more peaceful and easier way to deal with this situation.

"Agreed." They both said in unison causing Bunny to smile.

"Good." She said before looking around "Now all that's left is to find Courage and give him the sweaters." She added

"Which by the way if he chooses either mine or Bunny's it counts as a victory for the both of us since we ARE a couple after all." Kitty noted a cocky smirk adorning her face as she did,

"Fine by me you need a handicap like that anyways." Queenie replied her witty comeback quickly doing away with Kitty's smirk.

And so with that little scene out of the way the three women began to search the farmhouse for Courage even though the truth was he wasn't even IN the farmhouse at all...

"Aw come on just one?" Cajun asked as he looked towards Courage his hands clasped together to further his plea.

"For the last time Cajun you CAN'T have any of the chickens!" Courage scolded as he currently held one of said chickens in his hands.

As one might've expected Cajun being the fox he was was having a hard time ever since they moved into the farmhouse controlling his desire to make some delicious chicken pot pie. But of course Courage being the vigilant dog he is made sure to keep an open ear to the sound of the coop's chickens suddenly getting spooked whenever Cajun seemed to just vanish.

"Aw come on dog you don't even KNOW what it's like for a little ol' fox such as myself to be near so many juicy...succulent...delectable chickens..." Cajun began to say until as if under some hypnotic trance he started to reach for the chicken in Courage's grasp.

"NO!" Courage shouted as he slapped the paw away "These chickens are NOT for eating they lay eggs!" He stated before walking over to an empty nest "If you want to eat chicken you're gonna have to go somewhere else and get it." He informed before setting the chicken back down into it's nest.

"Oh yeah because there are just FLOCKS upon FLOCKS of wild chickens RUNNIN through Nowhere in fact i think i nearly got trampled by one once!" Cajun remarked trying his best to be as sarcastic as possible.

"You could just go to the grocery store..." Courage muttered earning a scoff in response.

"Now i KNOW you must be jokin there ain't no way i'd EVER buy meat from a store ya gotta get it from nature when it's the most ripe not when it's been in some factory somewhere round all them chemicals and unknown hands!" Cajun countered.

"Well then you better start hunting for some of those flocks of wild chickens because as long as i'm around you WON'T be getting any of these!" Courage asserted before leaving the coop.

Watching him leave Cajun gave one final look to the chickens before letting out a defeated sigh knowing very well if he were to try something it wouldn't just be Courage he'd have to deal with but Katz as well and he CERTAINLY didn't want a LONG boring lecture from the feline.

"A fox just can't catch a break in this world no sir..." He grumbled as he left the coop with shoulders slumped.

Following after Courage who was headed back to the farmhouse both soon enough reached the backdoor where the moment Courage began to open it even in the slightest bit had it suddenly flung open revealing Queenie, Bunny, and Kitty on the other side.

"THERE YOU ARE!" They all exclaimed before grabbing him and pulling him inside slamming the door shut once they did.

Completely caught off guard by the sudden action Cajun was about to open the door once more and venture inside until a light bulb went off in his noggin.

"Courage is gonna be pretty occupied as it would seem..." He said to himself as he slowly turned his head to look at the coop "Which means if someone were to oh i dunno relieve the farm of a few fine feathered fowls...there'd be nothin to stop'em..." He added with a grin as he turned on his heals and walked towards the coop once more.

Whilst Cajun goes to satisfy his primal urges back inside the house Courage is gently placed within a chair at the kitchen table all the while he himself is absolutely confused as to what is happening.

"What's going on?" He asked looking to the three women before him for an answer.

"Well Courage~" Queenie mused as she approached him "Me, the cat, and the rabbit have a bit if a problem you see." She began earning glares from Kitty and Bunny due to how she addressed them "It seems as though all three of us took the time to make you a sweater and now we need you to decide whose is the best." She explained causing him to raise a brow.

"You...made me sweaters?..." He asked unsure whether or not he should believe what he was hearing.

"Yes and like i said we need you to choose out of the three who made the best one." She replied repeating herself "Keep in mind though that those two count as one so i deserve some extra points due to my disadvantage." She added.

"THAT'S COMPLETELY RIDICULOUS!" Kitty shouted as she pointed towards the other "YOU HAD NO ISSUES A FEW MOMENTS AGO WITH THE HANDICAP!" She added.

"Oh? that's funny i don't recall that." Queenie replied with an look of innocence which in turn only infuriated Kitty more "Anyways you don't even need to wear the sweaters Courage all we're asking is you look at them and say which of the three you WOULD like to wear." She clarified as Bunny calmed Kitty.

"Hmm..." Courage hummed as he thought on it _"I don't really see a problem with it...i mean it's just sweaters right?"..."_ He contemplated before looking towards them "Okay i'll look at them." He said causing them to smile.

"Great i'll go first!" Queenie exclaimed before showing him her sweater "Ta da~" She mused as she held it in the air.

Looking over the sweater Courage at first was actually quite surprised by how well it seemed to be made considering it WAS made by Queenie to begin with. There were no lose threads, the stitching was good, and even the fishes which were sewn into the sweater not on it as separate things were very nicely done. Overall for what Courage assumed to be the first sweater she's ever made it was really nice plus he liked the colors of it albeit was nothing superbly complicated but still it was appealing.

"Is this the first sweater you've ever made?" He asked.

"Actually yes it is i make my own dresses and some other things but this is indeed my first sweater." She answered.

"No surprise there..." Kitty whispered to Bunny causing her to giggle.

"Well...i like it." Courage admitted with a smile causing Bunny and Kitty's eyes to widen.

"WHAT?!" They asked.

"Ha." Queenie sounded as she moved to the side allowing Bunny and Kitty to step forward.

Shooting her dual dagger like glares Bunny and Kitty both swiftly did away with their looks of hatred as they stepped forward and looked towards Courage all the while keeping their sweaters hidden behind them.

"So for the sake of keeping this short both me and Bunny since if you pick either one of us we win this little dispute will be displaying our sweaters at the same time." Kitty explained earning a nod of understanding from Courage.

"On the count of three one...two...three!" Bunny exclaimed before they displayed their sweaters.

Feeling his eyes widen in amazement both Kitty and Bunny's sweaters looked as though they had been professionally made. Now do not get the wrong idea dear reader by stating this i do not mean to imply Queenie's sweater by any means looked like it came from a dollar store but the quality in which their sweaters seemed to be made could rival that of high priced ones! However with that being said...there were some things to note...well...it's best to just rip it off like a band aid if anything. First let's start with Kitty's whose base color of choice was if you can believe it the same color as her fur.

Not only that but the added features to the sweater were...how should i put this...very impartial. By no means am i implying that this sweater was made with the intention of having Courage appear more like a cat than a dog no no no but where Queenie had put fish upon her sweater due to her being a fish lady to sum up Kitty along with Bunny had done the same but to a FAR greater degree. The degree to be more precise consisted of a ball of yarn that rested upon the middle of the sweater with a loose strand wrapping around it forming thin stripes. Furthermore besides the ball of yarn there were also multitudes of tiny kittens resting upon said ball of yarn as well as laying besides it and/or pawing at it indicating that either the ball of yarn was massive or the kittens were extremely small.

Of course though once you moved past Kitty's sweater your gaze would fall onto Bunny's where similar to Kitty's it's base color matched that of her fur and as for the imagery it displayed...well let's just say even Bugs Bunny isn't the amount of rabbit this sweater is. Unlike Kitty's choice in design where there is a main focus point it being the yarn and kittens with a side focus it being the yarn's string Bunny's focus was all over the sweater. Literally covering the sweater from base to neck was a pattern of a cute little bunny chasing after a carrot even on the sleeves this pattern went it though being a bit smaller due to the size of the sleeves. Needless to say though even with the not so original choice in additional design from all three parties all of the sweaters WERE good and the only reason Courage believed that Kitty and Bunny's were better is because they probably helped each other where as Queenie did her's herself.

"Wow." Courage sounded as it was the only word that could come to mind at the moment.

"HA! WE WIN!" Kitty proclaimed causing Queenie's face to light up in shock.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! ALL HE SAID WAS WOW!" She argued.

"Yes which means he's at a loss for words unlike with yours where he pretty much summed up his feelings towards it right away." Bunny taunted adding salt to the non existent wound.

"THAT IS RIDICULOUS!" Queenie exclaimed before pointing to hers "MINE is far more simple and humble whilst both of yours are nothing more than disgraceful self promotion of yourselves." She countered causing them to gasp.

"How DARE you!" Kitty exclaimed walking over to get in the other's face "This is by NO MEANS self promotion if anything it's just us taking our own cute species and exploiting them for such unlike yours which can only be exploited for bait and snack!" She added poking her chest with her finger as she did.

Thankfully though before this could escalate any further Courage cleared his throat regaining their attentions.

"I didn't say whose was better." He informed placing his paws on his hips as he did "All i did was say wow that doesn't mean i chose a winner." He added.

"Well then who IS the winner Courage?" Bunny asked being the first to voice the question that immediately came to their minds after he finished speaking.

Sadly though as their eyes were now glued to him waiting for an answer Courage began to panic for the sudden realization of the situation just hit him.

 _"Oooooooooooooh no..."_ He thought as he began to bite his nails _"Who do i pick? either way they'll start to fight no matter who i choose!"_ He added as he looked between them.

Just as the air began to thicken and the tension seemed to reach a point where the slightest breath of air could cause a fight among them Courage who was just about to say a name was interrupted by none other than Cajun Fox...and the entire flock of chickens from the coop.

"OW OUCH LEAVE ME ALONE YOU FOWL FREAKS OF NATURE OW!" He shouted as he came bursting into the kitchen the whole flock seeming to be attached to his body whilst pecking wildly at him.

Unfortunately for Kitty, Bunny, and Queenie their focus had been on Courage and so even though they did react to Cajun suddenly bursting into the room with the chickens they didn't react fast enough which meant they weren't able to move out of the way before he came rushing over and toppled them to the ground. A flurry of feathers, fur, and sweater made it's way into the air as after a few minutes of continuous mauling of the poor canine the chickens finally had enough and made their way out of the kitchen heading back to the coop.

"Oooooooh man..." Cajun groaned as his body was covered in bruises though miraculously his sunglasses remained intact "No more chicken not ever again..." He groaned as the pain continued to wash over him like a flood.

But as if the universe wasn't through punishing the poor fox a sudden shriek rang through the kitchen air before Bunny shot up with a now ruined sweater in her hands.

"MY SWEATER IT'S RUINED!" She exclaimed as she held it in the air revealing the countless amounts of pecking holes and chicken scratches that now adorned it.

"MINE TOO!" Queenie and Kitty both exclaimed in unison as they as well held up their sweaters both having identical damages to Bunny's.

Even with his whole body being flared up in pain and agony Cajun's mind was as sharp as ever and as soon as his eyes rested upon the sweaters being held in the air he began to crawl away hoping to go undetected.

"WHERE. DO. YOU. THINK. YOU. ARE. GOING?" Queenie asked her voice now deep and somewhat gruff letting all who heard it know she was beginning to transform.

"I-I need to go get s-some ointment fer all these b-b-bruises..." He stuttered gulping as he finished his sentence.

"Oh don't worry about that." Bunny replied with a smile as she gripped her ruined sweater in her fist "They'll have plenty of ointment at the emergency room." She added as Kitty and Queenie grabbed onto his ankles.

"C-COURAGE MAN YOU CAN'T LET'EM TAKE ME!" He pleaded as the two previously mentioned women began to drag him from the kitchen.

"Don't look at me i told you you couldn't have any of the chickens you did this to yourself." Courage replied.

And thus as Cajun dug his nails into the floorboards in an attempt to possibly break free of Kitty and Queenie's iron grasps Courage breathed a sigh of relief at the bullet he just dodged...for the moment that is.


	10. A Trip To Town Part 1

It goes without saying that life can be unpredictable, in fact sometimes there are moments when the most random and insane thing you can possibly imagine actually happens right in front of you. Now for most people this would be something like winning the lottery, witnessing a natural disaster as it unfolds, or even somehow managing to find oil or a fossil in your own backyard. Then there is Courage, a dog who has seen, experienced, and endured the most frightful, terrifying, and horrible things the world could possibly conceive. From gods and aliens, to the undead, and even a massive sand whale, there was nothing that Courage hadn't seen nor been surprised to find out actually existed, in truth though while he was still an easily spooked canine he was beginning to think there was nothing that could truly surprise him anymore.

But of course he was horribly wrong, for one day he found himself waking up surrounded by the most vile and malicious villains he had ever come across, and while this in of itself was enough to turn him paler than a bleached ghost, what ended up happening from this encounter was even more shocking. Instead of trying to kill him like he was expecting, they instead moved into the farmhouse and began living with him. And while he as one would expect was suspicious of this behavior and what kind of grand scheme they were trying to pull, all they ended up doing for the most part was help him maintain the place as well as cook and keep him company. This however only made him more suspicious, for while he did have some familiar faces staying there as well they being Kitty, Bunny, and Shirley, he was still surrounded by his greatest enemies to date, and he knew that this was all some kind of big plot to destroy him as well as Muriel and Eustace.

Speaking of his owners, he hadn't been able to figure out where they were being kept though Katz assured him that wherever they were they were fine. And if it had been any other time Courage wouldn't have humored the idea that the crimson furred feline was telling him the truth, but thanks to Kitty being his sister and seeming to keep him from doing anything too dastardly, he chose to believe him this time. Even so, if they were in fact okay and doing well they were still being kept somewhere, and it was up to Courage to find out where so he could save them and then turn on his villains in order to get them out of their home! Though to be honest, he wouldn't mind if Eustace wasn't doing too well, not in the sense he hoped he was hurt or something of the like of course, but seeing as how the farmer did always try to give him a heart attack he did enjoy the thought of him being scared just a little bit.

Nevertheless, while Eustace was mean to him he would still put in his usual heroic effort to try and save both him and Muriel from whatever dungeon, jail cell, or cage they were being kept in this time around, but in order to do this he would have to make sure his efforts would go unnoticed by his new roommates, which wasn't at all easy.

* * *

"Any luck yet?" Courage asked aloud as he typed the same question into Computer's keyboard.

Even though he had to keep his search for Muriel and Eustace a secret even from Kitty, Bunny, and Shirley, he was still going to need help in tracking them down. And while Computer did enjoy making fun of him and calling him a twit whenever possible, he was always there when Courage needed him for information or advice on what he should do, so it only made sense he'd include him in on his plan.

"You asked me the same thing yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that." Computer replied with a sigh.

"And?" Courage inquired.

"The answer is still no." Computer told him causing him to slump in his seat.

"Ooooooh, where could they be keeping them?" Courage groaned as he let his legs hang off the sides of the chair.

"Obviously not anywhere that I could find them." Computer said in his usual sarcastic tone.

"They've gotta be somewhere though, and it would have to be nearby." Courage reasoned.

"Why would it have to be nearby?" Computer asked.

"Because they said they were being taken care of, so that means they would have to be nearby right?" Courage suggested.

"True, or they could have henchmen or even robots doing that work for them, which given the bunch you're dealing with wouldn't be unlikely." Computer argued.

"Still, if they were nearby where do you think they'd be kept?" Courage asked.

Although Computer was well aware as to what had actually happened to the farmers, he wasn't going to be the one to tell Courage the truth as it would go against the others' plans, as well as crush the poor dog's soul for the second time which he wasn't about to do. Though this didn't mean he wouldn't send him on a wild goose chase for his own amusement of course.

"You know, there is that motel Katz owns that is only a few miles from here, maybe they're being kept there." Computer suggested.

"You think so?" Courage asked.

"Couldn't hurt to check it out, I mean you've got nothing better to do than to sit around all day with the loons downstairs." Computer responded.

"But they'll get suspicious if I just suddenly leave." Courage argued.

"Then make up some kind of excuse to go to town, and when one of them takes you all you need to do is slip away from them to go and investigate." Computer explained.

Taking a moment to think this plan over it honestly was a pretty good plan, and considering he didn't have any kind of back up plan or better ideas just lying about in his head, this was his only option.

"Okay I'll do it." Courage decided as he hopped down from the chair and walked towards the attic door.

"Good luck." Computer said as he left the room, his monitor turning off once he was gone.

* * *

"Man there is NOTHIN on today..." Cajun groaned as he mindlessly flipped through the channels while laying on the couch "What's the point of havin a TV if there ain't gonna be anythin worthwhile on it?" He asked.

It had been roughly two weeks since everyone had arrived, and yet despite the assortment of personalities and colorful characters that made up the lot, they had actually managed to work out a perfect balance. First of all there was Katz who was the leader, whether it was due to everyone seeing him as the best option or they were a bit too unsettled by the thought of what would become of them if they objected, either way he was the head of the house. Then there was Le Quack who actually was Katz right hand man, for while his sister and Bunny had just as equal of a say as to what was to be done around the farmhouse as he did, Le Quack was not only resourceful but had a myriad of extremely useful connections, which he insisted no one spoke of in any way whatsoever. Next there was Queenie who held the same amount of power as Kitty and Bunny did, though if any sort of matter were to be debated it was quickly made clear that she and Kitty were NOT to do so with one another, as they were likely to start trading blows.

After those five though everyone else just kind of did their own thing for the most part, Weremole would be outside digging holes and burrows wherever they pleased, Big Toe with his attached cohorts in crime were often scarce as they no doubt were busy planning some kind of heist or scheme, while Cajun was the elected chef of the household and when he wasn't busy cooking he could often be found lazing about. And as one would expect, Shirley mostly stayed in her shack and only ever came out if she was needed, for meals, to watch television, and if Courage needed her help with something. But then there was Freaky Fred who amazingly even in this group was the strangest one of all, no one ever knew what was really going on inside of his head and he often at times would just randomly appear when least expected, in fact the most predictable thing about him was how even after two weeks of being there he still terrified Courage the most by just looking at him with that never faltering toothy grin of his. Still, everyone had found their place and routine in the farmhouse and everything had reached a comfortable norm, at least as normal as the middle of nowhere could get anyways.

"Maybe you should find something better to do with your time then." Katz suggested as he sat in the rocking chair with his legs crossed with a cup of tea in his hands "Perhaps then you wouldn't just be lying there groaning all day."

"There ain't nothin to do though!" The fox exclaimed as he pointed to the window "All that's out there is dirt, blazing heat, and more dirt, what is a fox to do with such conditions?" He asked.

"Maybe bury his head in the sand so I can finally get some peace and quiet." Katz replied as he took a sip of his beverage, earning a glare from the other in response.

But before any more remarks could be exchanged between the two, the sound of hasted footsteps was heard coming from the stairs just before Courage came into view.

"Hey pup, where've you been?" Cajun asked as he looked over his shoulder "Haven't seen you all day." He noted.

"In the attic." Courage answered as he reached the floor and without stopping walked towards the dining room.

"Were you talking with that pompous machine?" Katz inquired.

"Mhm." He simply sounded in reply before going into the other room.

"Does he seem distracted to you?" Cajun asked.

"Better to be distracted than useless." Katz responded as he took another sip of his tea.

Although he wanted nothing more than to take out a mallet and hit him over the head with it, Cajun knew that would be the absolute worst health decision of his entire life, and so he just went back to mindlessly channel surfing. As for Courage, he made his way through the dining room and into the kitchen, where he found Queenie playing cards with Le Quack.

"Do you have any threes?" She asked as she looked up from her hand to him.

"No, go fish." He told her, causing her to draw a card from the deck "Why do we always have to play zis game? why can't we play blackjack or poker." He asked.

"I just like this one the most is all." She answered with a casual shrug.

"Ahem." Courage sounded in order to get their attention.

"Oh look it is ze little doggie." Le Quack said as they both looked towards him "What do you want dog? can't you see we are in ze middle of a game?" He asked.

"Don't be so rude to him." Queenie scolded the fowl before looking back to Courage "Is there something you need Courage?" She asked.

"Can either of you take me to town?" He asked causing Le Quack to raise a brow.

"Why do you need to go to town? we do not need anything." He questioned.

"I just want to get out of the house is all." Courage lied, doing his best not to seem suspicious.

"Then go out ze door and stand there for a few hours." Le Quack instructed as he looked back to his cards.

However, just as Courage was about to say something in response, Le Quack was suddenly hit over the head with a frying pan, causing him to have fall to the floor unconscious.

"Don't listen to him Courage." Queenie said as she gently set down the pan on the table "I think a trip sounds like a perfect idea, nothing's happened these past few days since the whole mummy thing, and it would be nice for a change of scenery." She admitted as she got up from her seat.

Gliding across the floor as she always did Queenie made her way out of the kitchen and towards the front door, Courage on the other remained where he stood for a few seconds as he looked towards the currently limp form of Le Quack.

"I hope this works..." He muttered beneath his breath before he followed after her, dreading of what would happen if he was caught sneaking away.

"We're going out." Queenie announced as she opened the front door just as Courage came out of the dining hall.

"Where are you going?" Katz asked as Cajun propped himself up on his elbows to look at her.

"To town to get a change of scenery." She answered as Courage walked over to her side.

"A change of scenery huh? that sounds like a great idea!" Cajun exclaimed as he got up to his feet "Mind if I tag along?" He asked while stretching.

 _"YES!"_ Courage thought with widened eyes, as trying to get away from one of his villains would already be incredibly difficult.

"Not at all, the more the merrier." She replied before looking to Katz "Do you want to come?" She asked.

"Hmm...I suppose it would be good to get out of the house for a bit, even if it is just to go to town." He admitted as he set his now empty cup on the nearby table.

 _"NO!"_ Courage thought as he tugged on his ears.

"Do you think the others will wanna come? I mean they've been cooped up just as much as we have." Cajun pointed out, as Katz got up from his chair and walked over.

"Couldn't hurt to ask, though one of you are going to have to ask Fred, I am still not used to that guy's smile." Queenie replied as the mere mention of his name sent a shiver down her spine, as well as Cajun and Katz.

 _"NONONONONONONONO!"_ Courage mentally chanted, as his plan was being ruined with each passing second.

"If all of us are going to be going then we'll need to take the truck, though I don't know if all of us can fit in it." Katz said as he put a hand to his chin.

"That's no problem, I can go there through my puddle leaving you, Bunny, and Kitty to all sit in the front of it with Courage, the others can sit in the back." Queenie suggested.

"You mean I'm gonna be crammed together with Big Toe and the psycho barber?" Cajun asked with a clear look of disappointment on his face.

"Unless you'd rather walk to town then yes that will be the seating arrangement." Katz told him.

"Why can't Kitty and Bunny sit in the back?" Cajun asked only to earn a stern glare from the feline "...Or you know I could do it, could use the fresh air and all." He quickly replied.

"Then it's settled! I'll go through my puddle, you all take the truck, and we'll have a day in town!" Queenie exclaimed with zest as she brought her hands together.

 _"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_ Courage mentally cried as he lightly jogged in place from panic.

"You know Shirley does have that cart of hers, she could use that to get to town." Katz noted as both he and Cajun started walking towards the dining hall.

"Yeah! and Freaky Fred can catch a ride with her! maybe even Big Toe!" Cajun chimed in as they walked through the door.

"I'll go make sure the truck is ready for everyone before I set out." Queenie told them as she opened the front door and glided out.

And so, with his plan having been reduced to a pile of ashes within the span of but one minute, Courage was left standing there in a state of horrified shock, while Cajun and Katz came across the still knocked out Le Quack lying on the kitchen floor.


End file.
